


empires of silk and gold

by meng_ren



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:59:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6844024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meng_ren/pseuds/meng_ren
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his family is killed, Nam Woohyun is installed as a puppet ruler and married off to coup leader Lee Howon. But Woohyun soon learns that Howon wants to meaningfully change the empire, and that neither of them can survive the deadly web of court politics without the other. </p><p>In an age where political disputes are resolved through violence and current alliances lay the ground for later betrayals, what future exists for two men who dream of changing one country?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/InfiniteRarepairFicathon2016) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Woohyun is the crown prince until a coup d'état snatches his empire away. His parents and brother are executed by the Rebels but Woohyun is kept alive to be the puppet on the throne and satisfy the remaining Loyalists in the populace. The catch: he is forced to marry Rebel Leader Hoya as his claim to power.

“I don’t want violence.”

“Don’t be silly, Captain Lee. This isn’t a game. These are matters of life and death. If they live, you die.”

Lee Howon straightened his back, looking at the other conspirator in the eye. “I’m making the decision. My men will be the ones going into the imperial palace. I will be the one who gives the order whether they live or die.”

“Your men will enter the palace, but my men will let them in,” sneered the other man. “Do you think it will be so easy that you can depose the Emperor and all of the country will fall in line? No, Captain Lee, if you want my cooperation, the imperial family must die.”

“The Emperor has done nothing. All of the blame rests on Uhm Seungman. If we remove Uhm, the problems go away.”

“You’re being overly simplistic,” said the other man with the same condescending tone. “You don’t think Uhm has his allies? And what’s more, those who aren’t in his faction are scared of him. That’s why you need to kill Uhm first. Not remove him, not exile him. Kill him or we all die.”

“If we kill him, his allies will try to kill us. If we let him live, his allies might not move, no matter what he seeks. We could send him into exile.”

“Might not move? Captain Lee, Uhm Seungman’s men are probably trying to kill us right now, if they so much as suspected we were plotting,” hissed the older man. “Do you value your life?”

Howon was forced to pause. Uhm Seungman, the power behind the throne, who was the effective ruler of the country, was no stranger to murder. Howon had counted even amongst his own family numerous victims of the dictator. His own father, long ago, had been exiled on one of Uhm’s orders.

“Uhm should die,” Howon said, nodding in acknowledgment. Prime Minister Uhm was the most dangerous man in the country alive. “But the Emperor should live.”

“The current Emperor has been on the throne for only a year. Everybody knows that if Uhm Seungman ever died, the Emperor would exert real authority. Do you trust our new Emperor? Do you not think that he would move to oppose you, maybe even kill you, for your actions in removing Uhm? Uhm guaranteed him protection, supported his claim to the throne, and put him on the throne. The Emperor is absolutely one of Uhm’s supporters. No, we need to kill the Emperor, kill his wife, kill his sons. We will only be safe if we wipe out the entire imperial family.”

“If we kill the Emperor’s family, who would we put on the throne? You want an interregnum? If that happens, Uhm, his supporters, or even his enemies would just enthrone some distant member of the imperial family. Do you want to be in the capital when the whole country will flock to the banner of the new ruler? No, we need to keep the Emperor’s family alive, Minister Hwang, or our plot simply ends later rather than sooner. The family must live.”

The older man sputtered, unused to being lectured by a junior officer. Howon refrained from giving a smug smile. Despite being much younger than the other conspirator, Howon had scored a major victory.

“I didn’t mean a prolonged period without a king,” protested the man with a bitter look, until a moment of realization came across him. “But the Empress is Uhm Seungman’s niece. If she lives, we risk our lives. Do you want Uhm’s family members in the palace? She must die.”

Howon considered the suggestion. Empress Uhm was strongly complicit in Uhm’s treachery, having supported her uncle in various schemes. “The Empress can go. But we should keep the Crown Prince.”

Hwang pondered the suggestion for a second, and Howon wondered if the other man would purposefully try to reject the idea, just for the sake of argument, or if he would acquiesce.

“That idea could work,” said Hwang, scratching at his beard. “Crown Prince Woohyun is the younger son, born from a lesser consort, whereas his older brother is the son of Empress Uhm. If we install the Crown Prince as Emperor, his weak claim will make it easier for us to remove him if necessary. But the Crown Prince is much, much smarter than his older brother. That’s why he’s the Crown Prince despite his weak claim. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure. And the older prince?” Howon asked.

“He must die. The Emperor, the Empress, and the first-born prince must all die. I will not compromise on these three victims, Captain Lee. If you want my help in your conspiracy, they must die,” Hwang said, surprisingly nonchalant. “Otherwise we go from being conspirators to being victims.”

—

He wished he didn’t need Hwang Yongseop. The Minister of Defense was almost as murderous and treacherous as Prime Minister Uhm. But Lee Howon had seen what thirty years of Uhm’s rule had done to the empire. Even now, fields were barren and people starving even as Uhm Seungman and his family flaunted their wealth in the capital. Years, even decades, of harsh taxation even in times of severe drought and disease lead to peasants taking up arms against the empire. Howon knew that if he didn’t act first, to remove Uhm from power, the minor clashes in the countryside would lead to complete civil war.

Enter Hwang. Hwang had come from one of the empire’s oldest and most powerful families. Unlike many politicians, Hwang had managed to survive under the Uhm regime by successfully pretending to be one of Uhm’s allies. And as Minister of Defense, Hwang was responsible for making sure that the capital army would stay in their barracks while Howon and his men could enter the palace and kill Uhm and the imperial family.

Howon didn’t mind war or battle. He had been fighting since he was barely old enough to hold a sword, serving alongside his father and grandfather fighting peasant revolts. But this was different. This was murder. Not regarding Uhm Seungman: that wicked adviser was responsible for thousands of deaths, in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. But Uhm had controlled the imperial family for decades. It was true that recent Emperors, past and present, had done nothing to stop Uhm. But Howon was skeptical they could have done anything if they wished. To kill the imperial family, when they were mere hostages of the Prime Minister, seemed cruel.

But Hwang made it clear: the current Emperor would be loyal to Uhm. Uhm could not be removed without removing the pillars of his support.

And Howon knew that every day Uhm lived meant more death and suffering.

So that day, Captain Lee Howon and Minister Hwang Yongseop made a solemn vow that on the night of the new moon, the second month after the lunar new year, they would retake the Empire from Uhm Seungman and purge the Empire of all harmful elements.

Howon did not regret that vow, nor did he realize the consequences of it, until tonight, when he stood in the Emperor’s private quarters and he saw just how much blood had been shed.

“What happened here?” He hissed to one of his soldiers besides him. “Why are all these people here dead?”

The soldier, a tall thin lieutenant named Lee Sungyeol, was trembling as he responded. “It was a breakdown in order. Our soldiers were fighting soldiers that were already here. We’ve managed to kill those soldiers though, when they didn’t identify themselves. The other soldiers must have been the ones who were killing and raping here.”

Looking at the pools of blood and the dead bodies, almost all of them unclothed, Howon began to feel sick. This plan wasn’t meant to be a massacre. These women, either palace servants or low-ranking concubines, were not meant to be victims.

Howon himself was about to shake, in anger, until he realized what Sungyeol had just said. “The soldiers already here? From where? The capital army? The royal guard?”

The other soldier stared at Howon for a second, before staring at the ground. “No, that doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t?”

“They wore brown, not red. They were the guards assigned to the Minister of Defense.”

Realization began to dawn on Howon’s face. “Where’s the imperial family?”

“We haven’t found them,” Sungyeol responded. “They might be already dead. There are lots of dead bodies here, and some of them might be men.”

“You said there were soldiers here. Are they still here?”

“No, our men secured all of the entrances into the palace. When we took over the palace there were no guards. We only saw soldiers wearing brown here, in the palace quarters.”

“Tell the men to search the palace! If they see soldiers that aren’t ours, kill them!” Howon yelled. He then turned and began to run. He knew where in the palace complex he needed to be.

“Where are you going!” Sungyeol yelled over his shoulder.

“The Crown Prince’s quarters!” Howon yelled back.

And Howon ran, faster than he had ever remembered running when he took the fitness exams to be promoted to an officer, and even faster than he remembered running when he raced to get home for his father’s funeral. 

The distance from the Emperor’s living complex to the Crown Prince’s rooms passed Howon like in a blur. When he reached the Crown Prince’s quarters, he saw yet another trail of dead bodies on the ground, and he raced past those, into the personal bedroom of the Crown Prince.

He wasn’t surprised at what he saw: there was a soldier there dressed in iron chainmail. The brown leather uniform underneath indicated a soldier under the command of Minister Hwang, and in the soldier’s hand was a bloody sword. Three bodies were on the ground, bloody slashes staining white linen sleeping garments. Howon recognized only one face, that of the Emperor, and knew the other two must have been other members of the imperial family.

The soldier turned his head as Howon entered. 

“Identify yourself,” Howon ordered.

“Captain Yoon, Chief Bodyguard to the Minister of Defense,” said the man. “I’m here to make sure the operation was executed successfully. You had a deal with the Minister. I had to make sure they were dead.”

“You were the one who killed them?” Howon said, pointing to the body of the Emperor at the ground.

“My only disappointment was that none of them begged for me to spare them. They only threatened to have me killed. Typical arrogance,” said the other man. “I was about to get to this one before you interrupted me.”

Howon gazed to where the man’s sword was still pointed. There was a young man in corner, huddled on the bed with his clothes torn and slashed. He was pinned in place, with a dagger through his left sleeve preventing him from escaping, and the young man had tears running down his face.

“That wasn’t part of the plan,” Howon objected.

“Plans change,” the soldier said, turning his head towards the young man while still keeping his back towards Howon.

It was a fatal move. Howon didn’t try to draw his sword. That would have created too much noise. So he removed his dagger from his belt and stabbed it deep into the armpit of the soldier, the one place where the man had neither armor or helmet to protect him. The soldier dropped his knees, allowing Howon to strike him with an elbow to the face. In that same motion, Howon dropped his dagger and grabbed the other man’s sword, hitting the man in the face again with the butt of his sword.

The soldier staggered back to face Howon. 

“You’re going to die, Captain Lee,” hissed the other man, jumping forward, trying to grab Howon with his bare hands. Howon ducked, raising the sword. In a move that was more luck than skill, the point of the sword caught the other soldier in the throat. Howon pushed forward until the point lodged itself in vertebra.

The other soldier stopped moving, spitting blood for a second, before collapsing onto the floor. Howon pulled the blade out with some resistance.

That should have ended the problem, had not two more soldiers in the same brown uniforms entered the room with swords drawn. They were not Howon’s men.

“What happened here?” said the first, looking at the ground. “What happened to Captain Yoon?”

Howon turned around to face the men. Howon also had a sword drawn, but he couldn’t catch them by surprise the same way he had caught the first officer by surprise.

“He got in my way,” deadpanned Howon. The two soldiers stared first at Howon, then the corpse of their commander, then the other bodies, and finally to the Crown Prince in the corner.

“What do you mean?” The second one asked, cautiously.

Howon managed to lie smoothly. “I was going to have my way with the Crown Prince here. Your captain decided he wanted the prince for himself. I had to kill him to preserve my spoils.”

The first soldier looked at the second. “I didn’t know Captain Yoon had such interests in other men,” he said.

The other soldier shrugged. “Not the weirdest thing I’ve heard about him.”

Howon stood straight to stare at the other two soldiers. “The Crown Prince is mine. Your commander was not going to touch him, no matter what he wanted.”

The first soldier gave a skeptical glare to the second, hissing “I don’t know if I can believe it.”

“Well, I can. I’ve heard plenty of rumors about my bodyguard,” said a fourth voice. Howon’s eyes shot towards the doorway.

Minister Hwang was there, dressed in his full set of silken black court robes even in the middle of the night, holding up a torch for illumination. 

“I didn’t expect you in here, Minister,” said Howon, letting only a trace of suspicion into his voice.

“Your men let me in when I came with my guards. Your assistant Sungyeol has already told me that you personally killed Uhm Seungman before you entered the palace. And I suppose you finished your part of the bargain by killing the Emperor.” Hwang was smiling.

Howon straightened his back even as he lied. “Yes, I did.” He then pointed to the bodies at the floor, which he could now see better with the extra light. “I killed the Emperor, the Empress, and the eldest Prince. I was going to have my way with the Crown Prince, to take what is mine, until your bodyguard showed up and tried to interrupt me.”

“Interrupt you,” said the minister, staring at the mostly-clothed Crown Prince in the corner, “when you haven’t even started?”

“In a manner of speaking,” Howon replied. “Because my men have captured the palace, everyone inside it is mine by right. Including the Crown Prince.”

“Does this change our plans, Captain Lee? You can have your way with the Crown Prince, of course, but not on a permanent basis. We were supposed to install the Crown Prince as Emperor. It would do us no good if the Crown Prince was to take up residence in your bedchamber,” said Hwang. “I thought we were going to control him as the new Emperor. You should have alerted me to this change.”

“There’s no change. He’ll still be Emperor,” said Howon, slowly, to emphasize his words. And an idea came over Howon, in just one second, that would change his life thoroughly, and which Howon adopted with such speed that he surprised himself. “But I’m going to marry him.”

Hwang looked towards the Crown Prince, whose reaction Howon couldn’t gauge, and then to Howon, and the minister let his eyes rest there in puzzlement.

“Marry him, Captain Lee?” Hwang asked.

“Yes.”

“As a woman?”

“No, as a man.”

“A man. Marrying a man.”

“A man marrying another man.”

Hwang stared at Howon again, then blinked slowly, and then his eyes glared at the incredulous suggestion.

“Are you mad, Lee Howon!” Hwang yelled, no longer referring to Howon’s title. “Marry him? You’re a man!”

“I know. And if you accept my new marriage, then I’ll have you named Prime Minister first thing tomorrow morning.”

Hwang’s eyes were wide, showing as much of the whites of his eyes as physically possible. This was a critical area that the conspirators in the plot had all brushed aside. Despite Howon’s agreement, he had never stated to Hwang who was going to replace Uhm Seungman as Prime Minister. The man was forced to pause, staring at Howon, before he composed himself and folded his arms behind his back.

“That sounds like an excellent suggestion, Captain Lee.” Hwang said, returning to his normal calm demeanor. “And what title will you pick for yourself? General Lee?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“You’re confident,” Hwang replied. “Very confident.”

Howon pointed to the area around him. “As long as I have the Emperor and the palace, I control the imperial guard and the capital army. What army do you have?”

Hwang gave a smile, not in conceding defeat but in recognizing Howon’s excellent maneuver. “None, Captain Lee.” Hwang continued to stare at Howon for another second, before he turned around. “If you don’t mind, the hour is late. I will need to attend court tomorrow. After all, so many of my colleagues did not survive the night.”

Howon watched as the man and his two soldiers walked out, into the night. And Hwang paused one more time, turning around to Howon and giving a small bow. 

“Congratulations on your nuptials. I look forward to my appointment.”

And Hwang left, permanently.

The room was silent, not a word coming from the dead bodies on the ground nor from the two men still present, for a long time. Howon slumped against the wall. The room was soundless, with nothing but the sound of the two men breathing, and it was black. The new moon provided no light.

It could have been as long as an hour later when Howon finally heard the other man try to extricate himself. Crown Prince Woohyun managed to remove the knife from his sleeve, and Howon heard him speak for the first time.

“I should kill you. I’m armed.”

“I saved your life.”

“It didn’t need saving until tonight when you and your rebels marched in and killed my family.”

Howon rose to his feet, groping his way blindly until he found the bed and managed to grab the warm body there to try to whisper in the Crown Prince’s ear. He whispered his next statements. 

“If I had gotten here any sooner, I would have saved them too. By the time I got here, Hwang Yongseop double-crossed me first. He was the one who had your family killed, before I could even get here,” Howon hissed. “I thought Hwang was going to do nothing and let me get my hands dirty. If the coup d’etat had failed Hwang would have proclaimed his innocence and laid the blame on me. Instead he acted first to kill the Emperor, probably so he could blame me for doing the dirty work. Hwang’s plan would have worked. He would have killed you and your family even if I decided to call off tonight’s events. Don’t you understand? I’m just a piece of his plan too. Hwang is letting me take control so he can pin the blame on me when he tries to seize control.”

Woohyun’s voice came from elsewhere, right above Howon’s head. 

“Could you stop whispering into my crotch?”

Howon couldn’t help but laugh, the first time he had laughed in years, and he could feel himself crying too. 

He reached a hand up to wipe his face, and then took a seat on the bed.

“I had to say I was going to marry you because nothing else would have protected you. I needed to show Hwang that you’re under my protection. Otherwise, Hwang will try to kill you, no matter how many men I have guarding you. Hwang betrayed me once. I need to show him that my alliance with him depends on keeping you alive,” Howon said.

He heard Woohyun drop the knife and give a loud sigh.

“I believe you, Captain Lee. But where are we going to go from here?”


	2. Chapter 2

“You’ll need to follow what I say if you want to live. Do you understand?” Howon asked Woohyun first. “Go where I tell you to go, eat when I tell you to eat, sleep when I tell you to sleep, say what I tell you to say.”

Woohyun was silent in the darkness.

“I know you don’t like this. I don’t like this. But you don’t have a choice if you want to live, and I don’t have a choice if I want to protect you. Hwang Yongseop and his supporters are out there. Even Uhm Seungman’s surviving supporters will be a threat.” Howon continued. “Any plan I have is for you.”

After a minute’s pause, Woohyun finally spoke. “I understand.”

“Then we need to leave, now,” Howon said, examining the room around them. He could hear his soldiers outside, having secured the palace complex, but that only left Howon finished with half of his plan. “We still haven’t formally enthroned you.”

Woohyun nodded but hesitated. “Captain Lee, can I have some light first?”

Howon was not sure what Woohyun meant, but he groped his way to the Crown Prince’s bedside table. Howon fiddled with flint and metal tinder that he always kept on his person, and lit a candle. A flicker of light burst across a room unlit by the moon. “Crown Prince?”

“Just one second, please. Let me just hold them once,” Woohyun said, climbing off of the bed. Howon turned away for just a second as he saw Woohyun reach down to embrace the bodies on the floor. The Crown Prince was otherwise silent.

“We need to move, now,” said Howon quietly, heading towards the door. Woohyun followed.

There were rituals and processes that needed to be done every time the Emperor died, and Woohyun would play a role in them. Howon headed first to the Imperial Library, where he had told his men he would set up his command post. In the early hours of morning, Howon finally headed towards there, the Crown Prince in tow.

Howon’s men had already set up a small office in the building. Sungyeol had set up the table for him, Howon could see even from the distance, as he headed towards the Imperial Library. But as soon as Howon entered the library before Woohyun, Howon was accosted by one of the imperial scholars.

“You! You scoundrel! Are you Captain Lee Howon, the leader of this group of soldiers?” Scowled the scholar from the inside, trying to physically grab Howon.

Sungyeol managed to step between Howon and the scholar, putting a dagger to the scholar’s throat.

“Take another step towards the Captain, and you die,” threatened Sungyeol, before glancing towards Howon. “Should I kill him?”

“No, let him live. These academic types aren’t a threat yet,” Howon answered. “Who are you, and how did you know who I was?”

“Deputy Chief Imperial Librarian Kim Jaehak,” responded the other man. “I am the imperial librarian on duty for the night. I have observed everything you have done, and you have desecrated the imperial palace by shedding the Emperor’s blood here.”

“That was not me. That was because of Hwang Yongseop. I came after the violence.”

The scholar gave a startled look, unsure whether to believe Howon or not, even as Howon continued speaking.

“And how did you know my name?”

“I should, Captain Lee. Your soldiers took over the palace complex, saying they were restoring order under your command. But you haven’t restored order. You’ve taken the country one step closer to chaos.”

“Tell me what mistakes I made, Librarian Kim, but not now. I need your help,” Howon said, looking at the other man. “I want the succession ritual to go as properly as possible. Now I’ve rehearsed the scenario a thousand times in my head already, but I want to hear it from you to be certain.”

“I would never help you,” snarled the shorter man. “You’re a soldier, and violent.”

Howon’s eyes narrowed. “The Emperor’s body is not yet even cold, and you have already abandoned the ritual duties you owed to him?”

The remark caught the librarian like a slap to the face, and the man spluttered. “The Emperor has died, so the first thing is that his body must be preserved for burial. And then the Crown Prince must be crowned immediately the next day. After the week-long mourning ceremony, the new Emperor can hold court.”

Howon turned towards Sungyeol. “Take Librarian Kim here and some palace servants with you to the Crown Prince’s quarters. The bodies of the Emperor and Empress are there. Prepare the bodies for burial.”

Sungyeol nodded and grabbed the imperial scholar. “You’re coming with me,” Sungyeol snapped, and began walking with the librarian.

“Wait, wait!” The librarian protested. Howon raised a hand to let him speak. “There are other funerary specialists more specialized than I am. I forgot to mention, the morning after the Emperor dies, his last will and testament is to be read in court even before the new Emperor takes the throne.”

“What if the Emperor didn’t have one?”

“Then the chief officials write what he would have wanted,” said the scholar. “It’s a practice that has happened many times. Prime Minister Uhm Seungman has written at least two already.”

Howon looked back at Sungyeol. “Take the funerary specialists and preserve the Emperor’s body. Librarian Kim. You’re going to stay with me while we write the last will and testament. Would it be an easier job if the Crown Prince was with me?”

Howon pulled Woohyun from outside the library, and the Imperial Librarian gave a gasp.

“Crown Prince Woohyun, thank the Heavens you are still alive,” replied the Librarian, with tears coming to his eyes. But Woohyun was silent, not smiling.

Howon looked at Sungyeol again, who nodded and bolted into a run towards the Crown Prince’s quarters. And Howon finally sat down at the library’s table, Woohyun on one side of him and the imperial scholar on the other. Howon grabbed a plain scroll of silk from a shelf in the library and set it before the imperial scholar, who grabbed a brush and a pot of ink.

“You, Librarian Kim, write the formalities that start every speech,” Howon ordered, before turning back towards Woohyun.

“Crown Prince Woohyun,” Howon said, addressing the younger man by name. “You’re going to read this tomorrow out loud at court. You need to say every single word here, and only these words. If you deviate from them in the slightest, I am going to dismiss all of the officials present and drag you off of the throne myself. Do you understand?”

The younger man nodded. “Yes Howon. Or should I say, darling?”

The scholar at the table only raised an eyebrow as he continued writing.

Howon turned back towards the librarian. “Are you done yet?”

The librarian nodded as he finished with the formulaic expressions in every imperial order. “The handwriting is terrible. Don’t bother preserving this scroll in the imperial archives. We’ll have to write a new copy and pass it off as the original instead.”

Howon spoke again. “In the speech, you need to say the following things: that Crown Prince Woohyun will become Emperor, that Hwang Yongseop will become Prime Minister, and that the new Emperor will marry me, Lee Howon of the Imperial Army.”

The librarian put aside the brush to stare at Howon. “You’re a man.”

“Yes.”

“The Crown Prince is a man.”

“I assume you did not become an imperial scholar because your observations are so profound.”

“You are a man, seeking to marry a man.”

“Yes.”

“That violates current tradition.”

“Traditions change.”

The scholar forced himself into a temporary silence, frowning. “That is true. The Crown Prince chose this?”

“I chose it for him.”

The scholar was silent again, clearly recognizing Howon possessed far greater authority than expected.

“I shouldn’t write that. You’re probably just a provincial hick. You don’t deserve the Emperor,” The scholar sneered again.

“Whoever writes that last part into the last will and testament will be promoted three ranks. If you don’t write that, somebody else will,” Howon answered.

Librarian Kim gave a dismissive glare and sighed, writing as ordered.

“Next,” Howon continued, “write that Captain Lee Howon of the Imperial Army will be promoted to Colonel Lee Howon, deputy commander of the imperial guards.”

“The last will and testament isn’t meant for personnel orders,” scowled Librarian Kim.

“Then make it part of the new Emperor’s first orders. Use another scroll,” Howon said, putting another plain scroll of silk in front of the scholar. The librarian glared again, but carefully set aside the last will and testament for the next scroll.

“Write that again: Captain Lee Howon of the Imperial Army will be promoted to Colonel Lee Howon, deputy commander of the imperial guards. And write that the current commander of the imperial guard,” and at this Howon paused to ask Librarian Kim, “who is this?”

“General Yoon,” the librarian responded.

“Write that General Yoon is to be take command of an imperial army and fight the rebels in the north. And Librarian Kim, I have a question for you. Who should be Deputy Prime Minister?”

The scholar gave a curious peer at Howon. “What?”

“Do you think I’ll let Hwang Yongseop command the entire government? No, who is a man that is intelligent and experienced enough to balance out Hwang?”

The scholar continued to stare at Howon. “Well, he’s not here, but I can think of somebody.”

“Who?”

“What about Yang Bonghyun?”

“Yang Bonghyun? The man who was Prime Minister before Uhm Seungman? Is that man even alive?”

“He’s seventy-five and healthy.”

“Would he be willing to take the position?”

“He’s been in exile for thirty years because Uhm banned him from the capital. I would say yes.”

Howon pondered for a second. “Write in the order that the Emperor recalls Yang Bonghyun to serve as Deputy Prime Minister. And last question: who is the highest ranking official in the Ministry of Defense who is not considered loyal to either Prime Minister Uhm or Minister Hwang?”

“Nobody, Captain Lee. Uhm and Hwang have controlled that ministry for thirty years.”

“Nobody? Nobody has experience in military affairs outside the ministry?”

“Take your pick of anybody outside that ministry, Captain Lee, and they’d do just as badly,” said the librarian. 

Howon noted the librarian’s remarks. “Then write in that order that the Minister of Defense Hwang Yongseop is to be promoted to Prime Minister, and his replacement will be Deputy Chief Imperial Librarian Kim.”

“But the Deputy Chief Imperial Librarian Kim is,” and the man paused to stare at Howon with a disbelieving laugh. “That’s me! I don’t believe this.”

“You said anybody.”

“I meant anybody in the regular bureaucracy, not me,” protested the librarian.

“I made my choice. Finish writing.” 

The librarian scowled, but finished writing with a few more brushstrokes. 

Howon glanced down at the two scrolls. “I suppose these two scrolls must be formalized by using the imperial seals?”

The imperial scholar gave a nod. “But the seals should be located deep in the imperial archives, far from here.”

Howon shook his head. “Uhm Seungman held the Emperor’s authority for thirty years. That stretched all the way to keeping the imperial seal by his pillow. One of my soldiers found it. I have the seal.”

The librarian gave a small nod, as silence overtook the room.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Go tend the Emperor’s body!” Howon snapped at the scholar. The scholar rose in haste, bowing once more to Woohyun, who had been silent the entire time. Howon took the time to read over the two scrolls, making some corrections with the brush where he changed his mind.

The room was silent again, with just Howon and Woohyun seated there at their respective chairs. Howon took the time to look at the Crown Prince, who began to look hopeless as realization dawned on the younger man’s face.

“So this is what I need to say later?” He said softly, almost crying, looking at the two scrolls through the early morning light. “Is this what my rule is meant to be? I’m going to be your puppet? Your whore? To say your words during the day and warm your bed at night?”

Howon left his seat to approach Woohyun, getting down onto one knee, to look up at Woohyun.

“As long as disaster strikes the empire, I will be here in this palace to rule through you, no matter what you choose. Do not have any doubts about that. And when all of the wars and political chaos are over, I hope I can retire somewhere and let you rule.” responded Howon. “But regardless of that, I’ll never lay a hand on you unless you want me to. I swear to the Heavens.”

Woohyun gave a bit of a smile. “So everything you said about marriage is a lie.”

Howon turned red, just a shade visible in the dim morning light. “We’ll have to go through the motions, you know. I’ll take a room in the Emperor’s living quarters, but it doesn’t need to be the same room as yours, just close enough that I could defend you if you’re attacked by any assassins. And right now it’s too dangerous, but if in the future, you did want your own women, I’m sure I could make arrangements for you,” he stammered, turning away.

The Crown Prince gave another smile. “What about you now, Captain Lee? I’m not going to disturb your own marital relations?”

Howon shook his head. “It’s hard to get married when you’ve spent the last twelve years in the army.”

“Twelve years? And you haven’t deserted yet?”

“It wasn’t all combat. Most of it was reading and writing letters for my father and grandfather.”

“Who was your father?”

“His name was Colonel Lee Kukchang. He was never important. You might have heard of my grandfather though.”

“Who was your grandfather?”

“Lee Geuncheol,” said Howon with pride. 

“The famous general? That was your grandfather? It’s no surprise you’re so full of ambition. You’re from a noteworthy family,” Woohyun said with a smile.

“Not as famous as yours. Nobody could mistake the Lee family house for a palace or even a large manor.”

“For now, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re going to be newly powerful, Captain Lee. That means your salary is going to go up, right? A large house, a harem of concubines, a famous noble title. What more does a man want?” Woohyun said.

Howon, still on one knee, looked to face the ground. There was still at least an hour before the court ceremony was supposed to start.

“I’m not going to become another Uhm Seungman. I don’t even want to become another Hwang Yongseop.”

“But if the throne or your allies or even your enemies offered you these things, you would take it?”

Howon squirmed. “I couldn’t refuse such an honor from the imperial throne.”

“But you could refuse such a gift from anybody else? If somebody from one of the famous Hwang or Shin or Jeon families offered you land or concubines, you would decline?”

“I’ll make the appropriate choice,” Howon said, defiant.

“I hope so, Captain Lee. Because I know you’ll be making that choice very soon.”

—

When the throngs of officials entered the palace for the morning audience, they were greeted not by the sight of Crown Prince Woohyun but by the sight of the Emperor’s casket. Standing beside it were the Minister Hwang Yongseop and Captain Lee Howon. All of the officials had known that during the night there was violence and bloodshed due to Uhm Seungman’s murder, but their worst fears were concerned with the imperial family itself.

All of the officials, whether already aware of the Emperor’s death or hearing it for the first time, burst into tears at the sound of the announcement. Hwang, standing besides the casket, announced that during the night, Uhm Seungman had attempted to seize the throne and killed the Emperor, the Empress, and the first prince in doing so. However, the Crown Prince had survived and rallied Lee Howon and other soldiers to kill Uhm and the rest of the rebels.

The most important officials who could have contradicted the explanation were Uhm’s allies, and of course, had been killed by Howon’s soldiers.

Hwang explained that the next important stage was to crown the new Emperor.

Howon then brought out the shaken but subdued Crown Prince Woohyun, presenting the younger man in the full ceremonial clothes, made of red and white silk. Howon then knelt before the Prince while presenting the imperial headdress. Woohyun then took the crown and placed it on his own head in full display before the assembled audience of officials. He then ascended the steps of the throne room’s platform to sit on the throne itself. The officials then bowed nine times. The official coronation ceremony was supposed to involve elaborate sequences of music and dance, but there had been no time to prepare the full ritual ceremony. And with that, Crown Prince Woohyun became Emperor Woohyun.

Emperor Woohyun, then seated on the throne, read out the full text of the last will and testament that his deceased father had purportedly written, as well as the orders that Howon had written. The documents employed the royal we for the singular, as was proper imperial style.

“We,” said Woohyun, reading the last will and testament, “issue forth the following three commands: first, that Crown Prince Woohyun will become Emperor. Second, that Minister of Defense Hwang Yongseop will become Prime Minister. Third, that Crown Prince Woohyun marry Captain Lee Howon of the Imperial Army.”

The entire court audience, already fairly quiet in their mourning, became even quieter.

Howon, now standing along the side of the throne room, eyed the imperial scholar Kim Jaehak, who was standing with the other officials in the back of the throne room. The scholar only shot forth a condescending glare.

Woohyun had hoped that last element would go over smoothly. Unfortunately, it didn’t.

“Your Majesty, why would your deceased father have issued forth such an order for you to marry a man? And even if he possessed a sound mind, how could you follow such an order?” Spoke an old official in the center of the officials. 

Howon blanched. He had not rehearsed with Woohyun the plans for any deviation from the script.

“Continue speaking, Minister,” said Woohyun, without any instruction from Howon.

The official put his hands before him in a supplicatory gesture. “Director of Astronomy Shin Kyungman at the imperial service. Your Majesty, it has been a tradition that the Emperor marry a woman, so that he can father children and ensure a stable succession. Today, the Emperor has no children, brothers, or nephews to inherit the throne. You must marry a woman to produce an heir.”

Woohyun’s eyes darted towards Howon, who tried to discreetly gesture towards Kim Jaehak and the other officials, but Howon’s gesture failed to convey its meaning. Woohyun did, however, receive a contrary suggestion.

“Is there anybody among the officials who can address the Director of Astronomy’s concerns?” Woohyun asked.

“Chief Tax Collector Yeo Eungmo at the imperial service. Your Majesty, the deceased Emperor was both the Emperor and your father. You must obey his command, regardless of the order,” replied another official, this time younger, adopting the same supplicatory gesture.

“Deputy Chief Physician Jeon Hwi at the imperial service,” spoke a third, somewhat older official. “I have examined many members of the imperial family in my forty years as a royal physician. The potency of the Emperor might be low. You cannot know if you can father a child.”

Hwang, uncharacteristically silent until now, finally spoke up. “Ah, but there is no issue with a compromise.” He turned towards Woohyun and raised his hands up in a feint of loyalty. “Minister of War Hwang Yongseop. Your Highness, if you marry a man and limit yourself to such, you cannot father children. I propose that you also find yourself female concubines. I, Hwang Yongseop, will personally guarantee that my own daughters and granddaughters will be suitable matches for the Emperor.

Woohyun’s eyes darted towards Howon again, who mouthed the word “No.”

“Do the officials have any other suggestions?” Woohyun asked.

It was Yeo who spoke up again. “Your Majesty, I propose that you follow your father’s command now and marry this Captain Lee, but you must prepare to find suitable female consorts or adopt a distant relative as your heir.”

Howon looked at Woohyun and nodded.

“Very well. We shall adopt the Prime Minister and the Chief Tax Collector’s suggestions. We will marry Captain Lee at once but prepare to find consorts or adopt an heir,” Woohyun said. “Now, we will move to the first orders.” 

It was Howon’s turn to move, grabbing a large box and moving to the base of the throne.

“The first order: Minister of Defense Hwang Yongseop is to be promoted to Prime Minister,” Woohyun announced. Hwang walked to the lower steps of the throne platform, where Howon handed him a talisman that read “Prime Minister.”

“The second order: Yang Bonghyun is to be recalled from exile and be appointed Deputy Prime Minister.”

Hwang’s eyes shot towards Woohyun, then Howon’s, and narrowed to mere slits, but he clenched his talisman and said nothing as he walked back to where he was standing.

“The third order: Deputy Chief Imperial Librarian Kim Jaehak is promoted to Minister of Defense.”

Kim, standing in the far back with the rest of the lower officials, walked up to receive his talisma. Upon receiving it, he remained in the front row of the imperial officials with the other high-ranking officials.

“The fourth order: Captain Lee Howon of the Imperial army is appointed Colonel and Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard.”

Howon grabbed the fourth talisman and placed it at his belt.

“The fifth order: General and Commander of the Imperial Guard Yoon is dispatched to fight the northern rebels at once.”

Howon glanced around to see a heavyset man, in shining armor but without weapons, walk from the side of the throne room to before the throne and bow. “At once, Your Majesty,” said the man, before walking back.

“And the last order: Prime Minister Hwang will begin planning the funeral preparations for the the late Emperor at once.”

Hwang approached the throne, and bowed. “At once, Your Majesty.”

“That is all. You are dismissed,” Woohyun said. He rose up from the throne and walked back towards his personal chambers, with Howon following behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been debating about how closely the story's setting should be based on historical Korea and/or China. Readers can make suggestions if they like.


	3. Chapter 3

Woohyun never met the dictator that so many people feared. He had never known Prime Minister to be the demonic figure who terrified so many. Ever since Woohyun was young and clearly established as a potential future ruler, the Prime Minister Uhm Seungman had appeared to be a great friend and protector of the imperial family. Some of Woohyun’s earliest memories involved sitting in the imperial library listening to Uhm talk to the Emperor, then Woohyun’s grandfather, for hours on end, regaling the Emperor with stories of strong rulers, weak rulers, rulers who followed their advisers, rulers who followed the advice of consorts, and rulers who lost their throne.

Woohyun remembered a memory from when he was still very young. He could still remember Prime Minister Uhm, tall and gaunt, reaching down to pat him on the cheek.

_“Listen, Prince Woohyun. Eventually your grandfather, long may he reign, will pass from this world. And your father, the Crown Prince, will become Emperor in his stead. And after that, I can make you Emperor,” Uhm said, crouching down to face the young prince. “You are meant to rule. You are born for greatness.”_

_Woohyun, who had not yet learned to talk or walk for very long said nothing, distracted by the golden and ruby-studded belt buckle that the official wore. Uhm looked down towards his belt and gave a smile._

_“I guess he can have this, can’t he?” Uhm said to the Empress, Woohyun’s stepmother, with a laugh._

_The Empress, Uhm’s niece, also gave a laugh. “Of course he can. He probably doesn’t realize it’s not a toy.”_

_Uhm agreed, removing his own belt and presenting the buckle to Woohyun. “Is this what you want?”_

_Woohyun nodded, taking the heavy metal object in his hands to peer closer at the rubies across the surface and the gold filigree decorating it._

_“Now Woohyun, do you think this piece of gold is pretty?”_

_Woohyun nodded again, still staring at the object._

_“The empire is like a precious jewel. You will need more than to see it to hold it. You will need to grasp it in your hands till your dying breath. Otherwise, somebody will take it from you,” responded Uhm. His thin fingers grabbed the belt buckle again. “See?”_

_Uhm yanked the buckle away from Woohyun in one grasp. Woohyun began crying._

_“There, there, Prince Woohyun,” said the Empress, reaching over to comfort her stepson._

_Uhm only gave a small smile as he handed Woohyun the buckle back. “You can keep this, Prince Woohyun. But remember what I said. You can never let go of the throne. It is yours by right.”_

But Uhm was now dead, killed at the hands of the man following Woohyun as the Emperor walked back to the imperial quarters.

Howon, Colonel Lee Howon as of five minutes ago, was not smiling at all.

“I didn’t say my lines right, Colonel Lee?” Woohyun said with a sarcastic smile. “I think I got every word right.”

“Don’t speak until we get back to your chambers,” Howon said with gritted teeth.

“Why?” Woohyun said, gesturing in his robes to Howon’s soldiers standing guard in the hallway. “Everybody here knows I’m as good as your hostage.”

Howon grabbed Woohyun by the shoulder and spun the other man around. “You’re not giving me a choice. The entire empire is on the brink of rebellion and I need to fix the mistakes that Uhm Seungman left behind.”

“Tell me, Captain Lee, how did Uhm Seungman die?”

“Bloodlessly,” said Howon. “It was quick.”

“How did you do it?”

“I put a robe of wet silk over his face and pressed into it until he stopped breathing.”

“Did he wake up?”

“Not for very long.”

“No guards stopped you in his personal residence?”

“No. My men had killed them.”

Woohyun seemed to think for a second before he spoke. “I had a great deal of respect for Prime Minister Uhm. He helped make my father Crown Prince.”

“He made your father Crown Prince, because he killed your two uncles who stood to inherit the crown first,” snapped Howon.

Woohyun was silent and began walking back towards the chambers.

“Do you think what happened last night, all those killings, was punishment? My father, my stepmother, my brother?” Woohyun asked.

“That your father was killed because his brothers were killed,” Howon said, walking with Woohyun, “and another cycle of violence starts again?”

“Yeah,” Woohyun said, finally arriving at the threshold of the imperial bedroom. His father had once lived in this room, and his grandfather before that, and many other generations of rulers. And now it was his room.

“No, I think violence can break the chain. But it doesn’t happen often,” Howon answered, standing in the doorway. He looked around the room. There were only wooden blinds on the windows. He would need to fit them with iron bars. And he would need to get the door lock to the room replaced, if the imperial bedroom even had a lock.

Howon and Woohyun were silent for a moment again.

“What happens now?”

“Get some sleep. You had a long night.”

“In these robes?” Woohyun said, pointing to the voluminous layers of clothing.

“Take them off. Sleep naked if you want.”

“What about you?”

“I’ll set up my office in one of the smaller bedrooms.”

“You’re really going to live in the imperial quarters with me? You don’t want to get your own grand residence built in the center of the capital?”

“Nice try. I’m here to keep an eye on you.”

“What happens afterwards? After I wake up. If I wake up.”

“You will. You’ll get your meals at morning, noon, and dinner from the same army quartermaster supplying me. In the mornings you’ll have court. In the afternoon, you can either stay in this room or you can go to the library.”

“No entertainers? I can’t have singers or dancers brought before me?”

“Not yet.”

“Can I have any sort of companion to keep me company? I was supposed to get married soon. A woman would be nice.”

“I called off your engagement. Kim Jaehak told me your bride would have been another member of Uhm’s family.”

Woohyun gave a pout. “She was one of Uhm’s in-laws. Not blood. I happened to like her quite a bit.”

“You don’t like me? Your new husband?”

“You barged into my life and married me off, against my will, to you.”

“And your previous engagement was so voluntary?” Howon retorted.

“She was cute!” Woohyun protested. “Unlike you, you unsightly beast!”

The Emperor, supposed ruler of the greatest and largest country in the world, gave a dramatic sigh and put his hand over his eyes.

Howon raised an eyebrow. “I happen to consider myself extremely attractive.”

“For shame,” continued Woohyun. It was too late to stop. “To think that there was some dazzling maiden out there, waiting for my hand in marriage, only for her to realize that her future husband was stolen away to marry some monster.”

“Please stop?” Howon asked, slightly amused. It really was too late.

“And now here I am,” Woohyun continued, with his hand still draped over his eyes in a dramatic flourish, “destined to wed the brute who has made me his slave. To think that I could be the Emperor, by day only to be ravished at night. Oh, my chastity, oh the tragedy.”

If Howon could have rolled his eyes into the back of his head, he would have.

“I am not going to ravish you, nor would I want to, ugly,” Howon responded, half-tempted to stick his tongue out at the other man.

“You can’t say that about me. Nobody has ever called me ugly. I’m beautiful. Just try to deny that,” said Woohyun with a gasp.

Howon shook his head. “I don’t have time to deal with children. I have your country to run.” He gave a sigh and turned to head out. “Just stay in here and be good.”

He began to walk out, but turned around to face the Emperor. “Don’t try to escape. I have guards posted. And escape is going to be the worst thing you could do. You won’t be safe from Hwang Yongseop out there.”

“I thought we were going to be allies, Colonel Lee? What’s with the change in personality?”

“I’m just keeping everything under my control. You need to trust me.” Howon didn’t need to state that he did not trust the other man, yet.

“Where would I go? My family’s dead and my officials are the ones who keep me prisoner in my own home.” Woohyun was frowning, looking at Howon with a look of half-pleading, half-resignation.

Howon gave another sigh. “It wasn’t meant to be this way.”

“I know, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“There’s nothing I can do about it. I don’t like this either.” Howon said with finality, turning to walk away and put as much of this mess behind him as he could.

He had just exited the bedroom when Woohyun spoke up again, one last time.

“I haven’t forgiven you. For all this. The coup. The plot. The circumstances keeping me prisoner.” said Woohyun, mustering courage in his voice and turning to look up at Howon.

“You never will,” Howon answered, not turning to look back.

—

“I wonder, perhaps, whether the Emperor should be joining us?” Hwang Yongseop said, raising his voice just a bit.

Howon shook his head. “It’s easier in a small group,” he answered.

It was indeed a small group. Besides Howon and Hwang, there were only three more officials: Kim Jaehak, who Howon could already sense would be a loyal ally; Oh Jungdon, Howon’s friend and the general in charge of defending the capital city; and Seok Hyungjeom, one of the officials running the palace’s logistical network. Except for Kim, all of them had been part of the original conspiracy.

“What we need to decide now,” said Oh, “is how to decide who gets what positions.”

“Out of the six ministry-level officials from before the coup, only three are left,” said Seok, looking at the personnel list. The Ministers of Personnel and Rites were killed in the coup d’etat, and the Minister of Finance handed in his resignation and fled the capital city. That leaves Defense,” and here Seok pointed to Hwang, “Justice, and Public Works.”

“We’ve already taken care of the new holder of the Defense post,” said Kim.

“So for Personnel, that would of course be me, right” Seok spoke. “I had already mentioned I wanted the job.”

“Yes, you did. I don’t have any objection. Do you, Colonel Lee?” Hwang asked, turning towards Howon. “No.”

“Seok Hyungjeom for Personnel it is. For Rites?” Seok asked.

“We can promote the current Minister of Justice. He’s considered a fair and reputable person,” said General Oh.

Seok and Hwang both nodded. “Do you disagree, Colonel?” Seok asked this time. Howon shook his head and Seok wrote down the order.

“Finance?”

“We could extend a peace offering to the Director of Astronomy. He’s a man we should be friends with,” suggested Kim. “He comes from a very powerful family and he has a reputation for honesty.”

“He was the first one to speak out against my plan this morning,” Howon cautioned.

“Maybe that was a good thing, then, Colonel Lee. Uhm Seungman stacked the ministries with his cronies, and he met an untimely end,” Kim replied.

“It would be easier to maintain control if we don’t shut out everybody who disagrees with us,” Oh said, agreeing. “Let’s go ahead and promote him.”

Seok nodded and looked over at Howon, who felt three pairs of eyes on him. Howon looked towards Hwang.

“He’s an astronomer, not a finance bureaucrat,” said Howon cautiously.

“I’ve heard the Director of Astronomy is a capable man. He will learn quickly,” Hwang replied. Howon nodded, and Seok wrote down the order.

“Defense has been taken care of. We’ll need a new Justice Minister,” said Oh. “I suggest the chief judge for the capital city.”

The other four men nodded and voiced their agreement.

“And for Minister of Public Works, I suggest the current supervisor for palace maintenance,” said Hwang.

“Do you agree?” Howon asked Seok, Oh, and Kim.

“I don’t know if he’s ready for that responsibility, but he’s been fairly capable so far,” Kim answered.

“Alright then,” Howon said. “We’ve decided on the offices. Now for the next matter. I think the Emperor will need a companion for his time in confinement.”

“Wait a second, Colonel Lee. Aren’t we going to address the fact that Yang Bonghyun is returning?” Hwang asked. Seok and Oh gave murmurs of agreement.

“Nobody had suggested that be part of our plan,” Oh said. “You acted without us.”

Howon expected this criticism. “With Uhm Seungman removed, his victims in exile are bound to return to the capital seeking office again. We can accommodate them by giving Yang an important office.”

Hwang seized the initiative. “But Yang has restricted to a lowly provincial office for the last thirty years. He’s outside the political current.”

“He’s well-known, hard-working, and symbolizes the plight of the anti-Uhm opposition. We want to send a message to the anti-Uhm bureaucrats that we are conciliatory. We’re not replacing Uhm with our own dictatorship,” added Kim.

Seok and Oh voiced approval. Hwang still disagreed. “But Yang is notoriously hard to work with. And he will quickly learn that the government has changed in the last thirty years. And he is old. Give him the office for just a few months, at most a year, and then allow him to retire.”

Howon looked at Seok, Oh, and Kim, before looking back at Hwang. “If Yang can’t work with us, we’ll send him back.”

Hwang didn’t look pleased, but he was somewhat ameliorated. “And back to the Emperor?”

“His Majesty might need a companion,” Howon said. “After all, I’ve ordered my men to keep him in his chambers alone unless I personally escort him out. The boredom might harm him.”

“Colonel Lee, I don’t want to entertain myself with something as trivial as the Emperor’s personal pleasure,” Oh said, standing up. He glanced at Howon and Hwang. Both men nodded, and Oh left.

“I should probably also prepare for my new post. The appointment comes tomorrow, correct?” Seok said as well.

“First thing tomorrow,” Hwang noted, and Seok left as well. There were only three men left.

“A companion, you say? The Emperor will need a doctor too. Being cooped up in his bedroom can’t be good for his health,” said Kim. “I suggest that one of my students should take care of him.”

“Why not have the Chief Imperial Physician take care of the Emperor?” Hwang said.

“The Chief Imperial Physician was killed last night,” Howon deadpanned.

It took only a second for the realization to flit across Hwang’s mind. “It was my idea to kill him, wasn’t it?” He asked, nodding. “Why not the Deputy Chief Physician?”

“We can’t trust him,” Howon said. “A long time ago, he was Uhm Seungman’s doctor. He would never harm the Emperor, but he will surely be a lifeline between the Emperor and pro-Uhm officials. Minister Kim, who do you suggest?”

“I suggest my oldest son, Myungsoo, can keep the Emperor company in his confinement, as well as attend to his medical needs. Myungsoo is a doctor in training, formerly under the tutelage of the Chief Imperial Physician,” Kim said smoothly.

Hwang considered the thought. “Tell your son that if the Emperor becomes ill, he must contact one of the proper imperial physicians.”

“I agree,” Howon said. “But don’t allow him any physical contact with the Emperor just yet. He stays in the outer chamber of the bedroom.”

“I’ll be sure to tell him,” Kim said, standing up.

—

It wasn’t until early in the evening that Howon finished his meetings. Hwang and Kim concluded the meeting and headed back to their respective homes. Howon headed back towards the Emperor’s bedchamber, passing the two guards.

Woohyun was still there in his underclothes, sitting against the corner listlessly. Howon noted that the iron bars were already installed surrounding the windows of the room, to keep Woohyun safe and keep Woohyun alone.

“Where did you come from?” Woohyun asked.

Howon said nothing as he entered the room and took a seat. He looked around. It would be too difficult to build a partition inside the room. He didn’t trust the Emperor enough to set up a separate bed in the same room either: he didn’t want to be the one killed in his sleep.

Instead Howon went out, speaking back to the guards. “Bring me a set of blankets. I’m going to lock the bedroom door and sleep in the hallway. Don’t let anybody in. Even if it’s Prime Minister Hwang. But if it’s Minister Kim, wake me up so I can talk to him.”

The guards complied within a matter of minutes. Howon entered the quarters again, spreading the blankets on the floor, and looking at Woohyun who was inside the bedroom.

“I was meeting with the Prime Minister,” Howon answered. “We were discussing important matters.”

Woohyun gave a hum. “Discussing what I’m supposed to say tomorrow?”

Howon nodded as he stripped out of his uniform. He probably needed a bath tomorrow.

“Are you going to be comfortable?”

“I’ve slept in tents and in open fields for most of my life. Having a roof is a luxury by itself,” Howon answered. He closed Woohyun’s bedroom door and locked it, putting the key around his neck.

Howon began settling into the blankets, lying on his back. Though there was still sun out, Howon could feel sleep fast approaching.

“Besides being a no-good ruler who insults my appearance, what are your talents?” Howon said, closing his eyes.

“I can sing.” Woohyun answered from behind the door.

“How about now?” Howon asked, closing his eyes.

“Another time,” the Emperor said. “When you are awake to listen.”

 _I’d like that_ , thought Howon, and sleep overtook him.


	4. Chapter 4

It was only the second morning after the coup d’etat, and Howon already had a growing sense of familiarity with court proceedings.

Woohyun was sitting on the throne, dressed in the red and black robes used for the morning court audiences. Howon stood besides the throne, along with the rest of the imperial guards. The most significant members of the court, the ministers Hwang, Kim, and Seok, stood at the front of the officials.

Woohyun gave the orders as if reading from a script, announcing the appointment of five ministers.

“We now appoint the following men: Supervisor of Palace Supplies Seok Hyungjeom is to be Minister of Personnel,” Woohyun announced first, causing the man to walk towards the throne. As he had yesterday, Howon handed the man the talisman with the title of the office. Howon didn’t hear any outward grumbles, but he suspected more than a few people were displeased with Seok’s appointment. Seok, after all, was hardly older than Howon.

“Director of Astronomy Shin Kyungman is to be Minister of Finance,” Woohyun announced next. Howon’s eyes sharply darted towards the official, who had a look of surprise and possibly anger on his face.

The other conspirators might have said many positive things about the Director of Astronomy, but Howon had suspected there would be problems with his appointment. Shin, like Hwang, came from one of the empire’s most noble families. These noble families were so ancient and powerful that even Uhm Seungman, at the height of his power, would have respected their autonomy and influence. Most officials would not dare refuse an imperial request to serve in a higher office: Shin Kyungman could, if he wanted to protest an illegitimate ruler.

“Your Highness, such a promotion would be against tradition,” Shin said, bowing slightly. “To be promoted so quickly would be disruptive and have little precedent.”

It was an exaggeration, and Howon knew it. After all, it was only yesterday that a low-ranking imperial scholar had been appointed Minister of Defense. What Shin was doing was expressing displeasure with the new promotion process.

Woohyun’s eyes looked towards Howon. Howon in turn looked towards Hwang Yongseop, who received the message and bolted into action.

“Shin Kyungman,” said Hwang, turning around. “How can you refuse an imperial command? The emperor is always allowed to pick the most qualified candidates.”

Shin continued to stay slightly bowed. “I am not worthy or experienced enough to be promoted to the Ministry of Finance,” he responded.

Howon noted that most of the officials began looking back and forth between Shin and Hwang, with hardly anybody looking at him. Howon took that to be a good sign: that meant the officials thought Hwang was the genuine power behind the throne, not him, even if he was physically standing by the throne. Yesterday’s marriage announcement, between Woohyun and Howon, seemed to have less immediate significance to these officials than Hwang Yongseop’s appointment. It was also helpful that Woohyun’s eyes were focused more on Hwang than anybody else.

“What worthier official, would you suggest, Director Shin?” Asked a voice from the back. Howon recognized this as Yeo Eungmo, one of the men who came to Howon’s support yesterday. “The Deputy Ministers are unable to serve.”

It was true, to a point. One of the Deputy Ministers of Finance had been killed in the coup and the other one had declined to come to court ever since, citing sickness.

“There are Deputy Ministers in other departments capable of serving,” Shin said. This too was true.”

“None of them are in the Ministry of Finance,” Hwang hissed. “Shin Kyungman,” he said, using the man’s personal name instead of his title, “go and serve your Emperor.”

Shin, looking remarkably sullen for somebody promoted to high office, admitted defeat at the fact. He grudgingly left the ranks of ministers to approach Howon and receive his talisman of office. Woohyun looked visibly relieved as Shin did so, and he continued with the appointments.

“Minister of Justice Choi Sangbum is to be Minister of Rites,” Woohyun announced, without fanfare. Choi was respected amongst the officials for being cautious and neutral even when Uhm Seungman was ruling. The man went up to take his talisman, without incident.

“Chief Judge of the Capital Park Dooha is to be recalled and appointed Minister of Justice,” Woohyun said next. The city’s judges were located in another part of the capital city due to the crowded condition of the central government offices. He would pick up his talisman later.

“Lastly, Supervisor of Palace Maintenance Chung Kwanshik is to be appointed Minister of Public Works,” Woohyun announced.

Howon turned to the last man named. Chung was standing in the back, and he was shaking his head.

“Your Highness, I am not qualified to take such a post. I would not be ready for this office,” the man said. Howon noted that Chung was only several years older than he was.

Howon turned to look at Hwang, with a glare that hopefully illustrated what Howon was thinking: He was your candidate. You need to deal with this. But Hwang looked unperturbed, even as he turned towards Chung to speak.

“Chung Kwanshik,” he said, using personal names again. “The court strongly believes in your ability and desires that you serve in higher office.”

But the young official remained unmoved. “I have only been in government service for a few short years. The current Minister of Public Works should stay in office.”

Howon’s eyes glanced towards the current Minister of Public Works, Kwon Taesoo, who had been looking extremely distressed ever since Woohyun announced the replacement.

Hwang pursed his lips, and Woohyun half-expected the man to say Kwon Taesoo was one of Uhm’s beneficiaries as a response.

“Minister Kwon is old and has served the court for many decades,” said Hwang. He didn’t need to reference that Kwon had served for so long because he was an unprincipled office-seeker who remained loyal to whoever was Prime Minister.

“Minister Kwon has served capably for many years. He should remain in office until he asks the Emperor to retire,” Chung said, adamant.

Howon glared at Hwang again, who was visibly annoyed and turning red. “Chung Kwanshik, you were given an appointment,” Hwang snarled.

“I must decline,” the official said, still bowed down. The entire body of officials was silent, watching as one of their own had defied the Prime Minister to his face.

It was Kim Jaehak who broke the silence to Howon’s relief. “Your Highness, as the palace is currently undergoing repairs, it would be inopportune to remove Director Chung from his position. Let Minister Kwon stay in his office for just a little while longer,” the official said.

Seok, one of the original conspirators, concurred, speaking up and saying “Minister Kwon has served capably for many decades. It would be disrespectful if he did not advise the court as to his replacement.”

Woohyun looked towards Howon for guidance again, and Howon nodded.

“We agree with Minister Kim and Minister Seok. This matter is to be postponed till another day. The court is dismissed,” Woohyun announced. He stood up to leave, with Howon following behind him.

—

“Chung Kwanshik needs to go,” said Howon, shaking his head. “It was humiliating this morning. He defied us. All of us.”

Across from the table, only Seok and Hwang were present. Hwang Yongseop was similarly livid. “I’ll never forgive him. Ten years ago Chung came to my brother’s house begging for a government position. Offered a bribe of silk and gold if he could just count ink brushes at the government headquarters.”

“I hope your brother didn’t take up his offer,” Seok deadpanned, raising his eyebrows.

“Of course not. Chung comes from a poor family. But after Chung passed the civil service examinations, my brother helped him get a posting in a respectable county near the capital,” Hwang continued. “Chung should be glad he didn’t need to rise through the ranks the way some of his colleagues did, by spending decades in malarial swamps or scorching deserts.”

“You spent your entire career in the capital,” smirked Seok. “I actually had to live in those swamps. You only listened to tales about them.”

Hwang ignored the comment as he continued speaking. “I’m extremely concerned about dissent. If sycophants like Chung Kwanshik don’t fear us, and others like Shin Kyungman consider the Emperor strongly illegitimate, then we will all find ourselves dealing with a very short period of rule.”

“How do you plan on getting rid of Chung?” Seok asked. “Demotion or assassination?”

“Demotion. We want the officials to think the bloodletting is over,” Howon interjected.

Hwang looked nonplussed. If he had hoped to kill Chung, he did not let any emotion indicate that. “Of course. What should our reason be?”

“Routine turnover,” suggested Howon. “Send the newest batch of officials into the provinces and bring in everybody once exiled by Uhm Seungman. I hear Yang Bonghyun will arrive in two days.”

“We’re not going to accuse him of corruption?” Seok mused.

“Chung is corrupt, but he’s not known for being corrupt,” Hwang said, shaking his head. “Let’s just send him to the provinces, without giving a reason.”

Howon and Seok nodded their heads.

“And Kwon Taesoo? How many leftovers from the Uhm dictatorship do we want to remain?” Seok asked.

“Kwon is no threat. He lasted so long because he was no threat. Uhm would kill his own allies if he thought they were in a position to challenge him. Kwon was not that type of threat,” Hwang answered. “But he’s extremely corrupt. The imperial palace would have already been repaired if Kwon wasn’t stealing so much from the reconstruction funds.”

“Chung won’t replace him, so who do you suggest? And name somebody you know well, please,” Howon asked.

Hwang sighed. “Anybody that’s not as corrupt or stubborn. Yeo Eungmo has been surprisingly supportive of us.”

“Obviously trying to get in our good graces,” said Howon.

“It worked. We should name him,” Hwang said.

“The Chief Tax Collector?” Howon said, amused. “Not a person with experience from within the Ministry of Public Works?”

“Minister Kwon had extensive experience, but experience meant nothing in the face of his extreme corruption,” said Hwang. “Yeo sometimes turns a blind eye to tax collectors collecting bribes, but he’s not going to rob the throne like Kwon.”

Seok laughed. “A rousing endorsement from Prime Minister Hwang, that is.”

Howon looked at Hwang, similarly amused. “If Yeo doesn’t take the job, I’ll be making the appointment.”

Hwang nodded. “Of course, Colonel Lee. In the meantime, how are your nuptial plans?”

Howon blanched momentarily. Of course he needed to address the issue. Howon found himself mildly surprised by the fact that he had given little consideration to the matter.

“The Emperor and I will wed at an appropriate time,” Howon said, mustering aloofness.

“And when is that? Our Emperor already should have married several years ago. It is only due to unexpected circumstances that he has not married,” said Hwang.

“The Prime Minister is correct. The Emperor is far past marrying age if you compare him with past members of the imperial family. The Emperor was supposed to marry one woman, but then his father became Crown Prince, and he became betrothed to another woman. When Uhm became suspicious, he called off the Emperor’s second engagement and set up a third engagement. And you of course interfered with that plan,” said Seok. He gave a short laugh. “You might become the fourth failed wife-to-be.”

Howon’s face grew red. “I think the arrangement is the other way around. I intend to remain in firm control of the marriage. I would be the husband.”

Hwang sighed. “There are no ritual guidelines for the marriage of the Emperor to another man. For the wedding of the Emperor and the Empress, we know exactly what food to serve at the wedding, what music to play, which officials are allowed to sit closer to the Emperor, and what colors the guests must wear. We’ll need to invent a completely new wedding plan just for you, Colonel Lee.”

“Then it will be a guideline for others in the future,” Howon responded.

“But Colonel Lee,” Seok said, slightly quieter. “I’m not sure if it is appropriate for two unmarried persons to share the same living quarters, as I heard you and the Emperor currently share.”

“Yes,” said Hwang with support. “The Emperor can of course choose any unmarried servant girl to join him in bed if he wishes, but for his Empress, he cannot be with her until after the wedding.”

“I am not going to be an Empress, Minister Hwang, Minister Seok,” snapped Howon. “There are not going to be any Empresses. Not me, and not His Majesty. We will be two men, married. Is the concept really so confusing?”

Hwang sighed. “Colonel Lee, it would be so simple if you did not stick to such a stubborn demand. Call off your engagement, and find yourself a wife. Take Uhm’s mansion. I don’t want it. Take his wife and concubines and servant girls to be your own. Your insistence on marrying Woohyun will not help either you nor His Majesty.”

“I decline,” Howon responded. 

“You want the Emperor,” Hwang asked. “I have no animus towards men who prefer the company of men, but the Emperor is just one man. Here, Colonel Lee. I can present to you a dozen male slaves for your personal pleasure by tomorrow.”

“Slavery has been outlawed for a century, Prime Minister,” Seok interjected. “You should choose your words carefully.”

Hwang nodded hastily. “I meant male servants, of course, not slaves. Would you consider the offer, Colonel Lee?”

“I decline again,” Howon repeated. “I have the Emperor.”

Hwang gave an exasperated gasp, rising up from the table. “You have the Emperor, you have his bed. And I as the Prime Minister can do nothing to change that.” 

“Before you leave, Prime Minister Hwang, I want to let you know that I have asked Minister Seok to lead an investigation into the empire’s finances. We will discuss the empire’s new tax policies starting tomorrow,” Howon said to Hwang, who was already walking away and raised a hand in acknowledgment.

—

“You look exhausted,” said Woohyun, looking at Howon from across the room. “Court was tiring?”

“Arguing with Hwang Yongseop is tiring,” said Howon, snapping back. 

Woohyun gave a hum, somewhat approving. “The Prime Minister is from an old and famous family. Men like him usually get their way.”

“‘Men like him?’ You didn’t say ‘Men like us’?” Howon said sarcastically.

“Men like Hwang are usually the real power behind the throne, right?” Woohyun said. “Men like Hwang, or you. Tell me, Howon, does the court realize you’re the power behind the throne?”

Howon shook his head. “I’ve talked to my spies. Everybody thinks Hwang was the mastermind behind the plot against Uhm, and that my appointment and engagement were his ways of securing my support.”

It was Woohyun’s turn to sit up, now rapt with attention. “But it was Hwang’s plot, wasn’t it. He was the one who killed my parents and brother.”

“It had been his plot. But I beat him at his own game. My men killed Uhm and took over the palace. I killed Hwang’s bodyguard. Once my men and I had secured the palace, we became the ones in charge, not Hwang. If Hwang’s soldiers had been more successful, you would be dead and Hwang would be sitting on the throne,” Howon explained. “Hwang would like to be Emperor.”

“How do you know? Your spies told you this?”

“Hwang’s personality is like Uhm’s, but Hwang wanted to kill you,” Howon answered. “I know how Hwang and Uhm operate. I’ve dealt with men like them before.”

“So have I,” Woohyun said. “I grew up while Uhm was one of my father’s best friends. I know Uhm better than you did.”

“You only knew Uhm as an equal. You didn’t see the way Uhm treated those weaker than him. My father was demoted because he refused to slaughter women and children the way Uhm wanted,” said Howon. “And that was only Uhm’s personnel order. Uhm’s policies have weakened the entire country. The countryside is still starving. Taxes are still high, until Hwang and I can decide how much we can lower them by.”

Woohyun was silent.

“I’m sorry. Uhm never told me how poor the situation was.”

“Of course he didn’t.”

“But I’m not afraid, for the future.”

Howon was silent, before he sighed and began talking.

“Have the guards been treating and feeding you well?”

Woohyun nodded. “I’m eating better than they are.”

“You’re not bored staying in this room all day.”

“Of course I’m bored. It’s suffocating being here, with nowhere to go besides being shuffled to and from the court. But I know it’s temporary.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Maybe the fact that I’ll be marrying my captor? Perhaps soon.”

Howon flushed. “I haven’t decided how that’s going to work yet. These things need to be planned months in advance. You can’t rush this!”

“So you’ll keep me waiting? How rude of you, Howon,” Woohyun said with a laugh.

Howon stood up to leave, taking another look at the Emperor. “I won’t keep you waiting too long, I promise.”

“And once we do marry, how long is our marriage meant to last? Until the empire is restored to working order? Or for life?” Woohyun asked.

Howon shrugged. “First things first,” he said, and left.

He slept on the floor outside Woohyun's bedroom, and he dreamed. Because only in his dreams did his plans succeed.


	5. Chapter 5

Howon dreamed that night of his father, and dreamed of the first day he heard of the name Uhm Seungman.

He had been sitting in the greeting room in his family’s mansion in the capital when a thin, sickly looking civil official entered. His father, the colonel Lee Kukchang, greeted the official with a short, curt bow.

“What brings a court official to the tent of an insignificant soldier such as me?” The colonel asked with an unamused expression.

The court official, remembered by Howon only by his surname Kwon, reciprocated with a deeper bow. “Forgive me, Colonel. I was asked by an official at court to inform you of your new position. You are being posted to the Marsh Province.”

“For what reason? I was given an order from the Minister of Defense to return to take up a post with the Imperial Guard. I have just returned from the Northern River Province to the capital city, and the Ministry wants me to leave?” The colonel responded with anger. “I traveled on horseback with my family for two weeks.”

“It might be some consolation that the Minister has also been demoted,” the civil official responded. “The Prime Minister has ordered that three of the six ministers be demoted and sent out of the capital. Your case is nothing special.”

“Then why did you come here?” Snapped the colonel. “I could have just been told by a scroll instead.”

“The Prime Minister has asked that you take a special mission when you are dispatched to the Marsh Province,” the official said quietly. “I know you have met the Minister of Finance Yoo many times? Your father, before he passed away, had been a friend of his.”

The colonel stayed quiet as he stared at the official.

“Minister Yoo has been demoted. He was accused of corruption, for accepting bribes in exchange for recommending candidates for office. He was reportedly a vile and corrupt person,” said the official. The colonel again remained silent, while the official continued.

“The Prime Minister sent me to make a request of you. When you leave for the Marsh Province, you will meet the Minister on the Northern Highway. The Prime Minister wants you to meet the Minister and his entire family. His wives and all of his children are traveling with him. You understand that the Northern Highway is full of bandits, do you not? It would be unfortunate if bandits were to intercept the former minister and kill him. But the Prime Minister would not fault you for this. Do you understanding my meaning?”

The colonel balked, staring at the official. “You want me to kill Yoo? And you ask this of me in my own house?”

Kwon recoiled with annoyance. “I never asked that of you, and if you could accomplish the objective another way the Prime Minister would be in your debt.”

“The Prime Minister, Uhm Seungman himself, told you of this harebrained scheme?” The colonel responded, voice growing louder.

“I have not been in formal talks with the Prime Minister, but he discussed this loudly at a meeting with his secretaries while in my presence. He said that he wanted you to meet Minister Yoo, and that he would not fault you if Minister Yoo and his family were killed by robbers on the Northern Highway. It was as close of a message to you as he could deliver,” Kwon answered.

“Then I want you to mention to your colleagues, loudly and in Uhm Seungman’s presence, that I have no interest in meeting Minister Yoo and I would fault myself if harm came to the man,” Howon’s father answered. “You can deliver that message yourself, if you please.”

“If that happens, Lee Kukchang, when you arrive at the Marsh Province, you will receive an order soon afterwards ordering you and your family to go to the Mountain Province to serve,” Kwon retorted, sneering.

Howon’s ears, already focused on the conversation, perked slightly. The Mountain Province, located in the far north, was considered the most inhospitable and forbidding province in the empire. It was reported to snow year-round and bordered hostile foreign tribes.

“I have served in eight different provinces. Tell Uhm Seungman I would gladly serve in nine. Now leave my house immediately. I will be sure to bring my winter clothes,” roared the colonel. The official, Kwon, recoiled again.

“I will do so,” said the man, taking a bow, before walking out of the Lee house at a brisk pace.

Howon’s father received the order sending him to the Mountain Province before the sun set that day.

—

The court audience that day, the third after the previous Emperor had died, was meant to be different. Howon, along with his co-conspirator Hwang, had agreed that they both needed to give the other court officials some extra space. Keeping the court officials utterly constrained would build only resentment and resistance. During the conspiracy, Hwang Yongseop frequently had reminded Howon that two previous Emperors had each reigned for only one month before they were also deposed. Woohyun might become the third.

That day, Howon continued to remain standing along the side of the wall while Hwang Yongseop as Prime Minister stood at the head of the court officials. Woohyun sat on the throne, listening as various officials, of minor and important offices alike, were allowed to stand before the throne and read the various reports they had written. Howon had carefully instructed Woohyun that the other man only say the words “We will take action later” after each report was presented.

Each official who spoke seemed to have a different complaint, almost all raising urgent issues. Drought struck at least eleven provinces. There were famine and food shortages in three northern provinces and one of the eastern provinces. In six provinces, peasants were refusing to be conscripted for corvee labor. The harbors of two major port cities had silted up. Bandits plagued all of the major roads leading into the capital city. The palace walls were falling apart, and vermin had taken over the offices belonging to the officials. In short, the empire was facing internal disaster in every direction. It was little consolation that none of the empire’s borders were threatened by foreign invaders.

Woohyun, as the Emperor, only sat and nodded as the various officials made their complaints. After several hours of increasingly tedious complaints, Howon made a small cue to Woohyun, who waved his hand.

“We have listened to all of your complaints and we will take action later,” Woohyun said, rising up from his throne. Howon followed closely behind. As soon as they were outside of the courtroom and heading towards the imperial bedchambers, Hwang Yongseop followed quickly. 

Howon felt a small tug on a sleeve and instinctively turned around, drawing his dagger. Before he knew it, Howon had his dagger at Hwang’s neck. The Prime Minister gave a yelp as he jumped back. It took Howon less than a second to put himself between Hwang and Woohyun in that single motion, even before he realized who had tugged on his sleeve.

“Steady, Colonel Lee!” Hwang said, steadying himself so he didn’t fall. “Be careful with that dagger.”

Howon had not even realized that his blade was at the other man’s throat. He turned to look at Hwang with a scowl.

“You shouldn’t have scared me,” he snapped. “That was dangerous of you.”

Hwang exhaled very loudly in relief and gave a nod. “Of course, Howon. I wanted to ask you about the meetings we need to hold.”

“What do you mean?” Howon asked, putting his dagger back in place. He was guessing it was another personnel decision.

“I met Shin Kyungman yesterday for dinner yesterday, and he suggested that with a full complement of all six ministers, it would now be appropriate to start holding the Council of State with the Emperor,” Hwang said. “It would be the six ministers, Seok, Shin, Choi, Kim, Park, and Kwon, and of course me. Yang Bonghyun will join as Deputy Prime Minister once he gets here, in a week at the earliest.”

“Where would I be in there?” Howon asked. While he had a great respect for at least half of those ministers, he had no intentions of routinely letting all six of them meet with Hwang outside of his supervision.

“Shin said you wouldn’t be there. You’re just a soldier, even if you are slated to be the Emperor’s husband. Or wife. Most of the civil officials don’t know what to call you, and haven’t gotten around to your new concept yet,” said Hwang. Howon wondered if he detected a hint of apology in there.

“Does the Emperor need to be there?” Howon asked.

“Under Shin’s plan, he does. It has been a long, long time since the Emperor had an active part in the government. Under Uhm, the Emperors spent most of their time being entertained inside the palace,” said Hwang.

“Tell Shin that the Emperor will attend no such meetings,” said Howon, turning towards Woohyun, who looked uninterested in the finer points of government operation.

“I can do that, Colonel Lee,” Hwang said, again being uncharacteristically apologetic, “but I’m afraid Minister Shin would not stand for it. He is a very stubborn man. Uhm Seungman permitted him to be the court astronomer because Shin would be too outspoken in a central post.”

“Does Shin know about the private meetings? With you, me, Oh Jungdon, Seok Hyungjeom, and Kim Jaehak?” Howon asked, still cautious.

“No, not yet. He told me that he thinks I am operating by myself. He’s very persistent in saying I could make better decisions if I worked with all of the officials, as opposed to ruling solo,” Hwang said, returning to his normal demeanor. “But he’s smart enough to realize that Woohyun is our puppet.”

Hwang only glanced briefly at Woohyun, not caring about the Emperor’s reaction, before looking back towards Howon. 

“You accepted his promotion, the day before yesterday,” Howon said. “You put a strong-willed man at the head of the second-most important agency. Aren’t you worried about what Shin might demand?”

“Shin is only one man. Amongst the Council of State, Choi and Park are fair-minded and respected men. They will not instinctively side against us. And Kwon Taesoo is a sycophant. As long as we threaten to remove him from his post, Kwon will support any suggestion I make. The four of us, Seok, Kim, Kwon, and I, will be able to outvote Shin even in in the worst-case scenario.”

Howon pondered the suggestion, before saying, “if Ministers Choi and Park are opposing our ideas, I think we should reconsider our ideas?”

Hwang smirked. “Choi is old-fashioned. I am willing to bet a house that he will not support your marriage proposal with the Emperor. In fact, I think I’d bet two or three of my houses on that wager. Park is a bit more open-minded, but not particularly so.”

Howon gave a nod. “I’ll ask them about their opinions myself.” He turned to walk away. Woohyun took the cue, and they walked side by side to the imperial bedroom.

—

There was a young man standing in front of Woohyun’s bedroom when Howon and Woohyun arrived. The man, fairly tall and dressed in the white robes of a court physician, gave a startled cry when he saw Woohyun. He attempted to both bow before the Emperor and prostrate himself on the ground at the same time, resulting in a clumsy fall onto the palace floor.

Howon did not laugh at the sight, but Woohyun went ahead to give the man a hand. Howon blocked Woohyun though, shooting the stranger a murderous glare.

“Who are you, and why are you here?” He asked, vicious in tone.

“The Minister of Defense sent me here,” said the man on the ground said, trying to pick himself up. “I am Kim Myungsoo, and I was training under the Chief Imperial Physician. The Minister is my father and he gave me the authorization to come here.”

Howon relaxed his guard, but frowned to himself. He knew that Myungsoo would arrive, but the man’s presence here meant security was growing lax. He knew Myungsoo’s father had no political connections and could be loyal, but the presence of any man in a secured area meant the Emperor’s guards had failed him.

“Do you understand what your job is?” Howon asked the younger man.

The trainee doctor gave a nod. “Yes, I was to serve as a companion for the Emperor and observe his health.”

Howon turned to glance at Woohyun before turning back towards Myungsoo. “I guess you know your job then.”

He briefly turned towards the guard on duty to speak a few words about the Emperor’s security, before heading back towards the central government offices to meet the conspirators.

—

“And now we need to deal with Uhm Seungman,” said Seok, staring at the pile of documents before him. “It took me a day to get a record of all of Uhm’s finances. This man is very, very wealthy, but not all of his wealth is accessible. He has five houses in the capital city, but he sent a considerable amount of his wealth to his ancestral home.”

“Where’s that?” Somebody asked. Howon turned to look, and it was Oh Jungdon who spoke. Howon made a mental note that Oh should have known better.

“It’s in the Western Plains Province,” Howon said. “He was born there.”

Seok nodded. “He stored gold and silk in his ancestral house because his current houses weren’t large enough to store all of his wealth.”

“I’m hoping that what we have now will be turned over to the government so that we can reduce taxes on the countryside,” Howon said.

“Maybe for a while,” Seok replied, “but not for more than a year. Even then, that won’t be enough in the long term.”

“Wait a second, what about our cut?” Hwang interjected.

“What cut? ”It was Kim who spoke, and Howon reminded himself that the scholar was not one of the original planners.

“Yes, the cut for me, for you, for you, for you,” and Hwang gestured around the table, point to everybody minus Kim Jaehak, “and for me.”

Howon could already feel anger beginning to creep through him. Hwang was already one of the wealthiest men in the country, as he frequently reminded everybody he met, and here he was, demanding a cut from the spoils.

“Taxes are still heavy,” Howon answered. “We need to confiscate Uhm’s fortune to reduce taxes on the peasants.”

“The peasants are glad that we removed Uhm Seungman. We should reward ourselves, which seems warranted,” Hwang answered.

“What does it matter whether we reduce taxes by 25% versus 20%?” Oh asked rhetorically. “We risked our lives to oppose Uhm Seungman. Was that effort worth something?”

Kim Jaehak had looked away, while the other officials sized each other up. Seok had frowned a bit at Hwang’s suggestion, while Oh and Hwang looked adamantly opposed to Howon.

“It could be a vicious cycle,” Seok said, cautiously. “We would make ourselves out to be targets. We would be criticized for corruption and the other officials would castigate us.”

“The other officials, who aligned themselves with Uhm Seungman and took his bribes?” Hwang said skeptically. “How are they in a position to criticize us?”

“They aren’t,” Howon said, “but we should be better than them. We can’t play politics the way they played politics.”

“We’re playing a different game already, by not destroying the country. We’ll reduce taxes and clean up corruption, but we deserve more,” Oh responded, snapping back.

Kim Jaehak finally spoke up, maneuvering cautiously. “Colonel Lee Howon is right, in my opinion. We don’t even know how much we can reduce taxes using Uhm Seungman’s wealth. We should err on the side of caution by using as much as possible for the national treasury. If we lower taxes too much, to the point that we seem lax in our policies, then we can take what is left as compensation.”

Hwang and Oh turned to look at each other for a second, and Oh muttered something under his breath.

Hwang shook his head instead. “I guess it’s settled. We put all of Uhm’s fortune into the national treasury, and we’ll see if that’s even helpful. What about the fortune Uhm stored in his hometown?”

“We can send somebody to retrieve it,” Howon replied. “It should go towards the treasury too.”

“The issue is who’s guarding it. Uhm Seungman has relatives keeping his wealth under control. Their family is popular in that area. We might need to send soldiers to secure the treasure peacefully, assuming we don’t provoke a rebellion,” cautioned Seok.

“The Western Plains Province is one of the empire’s wealthiest, and has been unaffected by serious drought or famine. Still, if Uhm’s supporters get restless, we can use his wealth by reducing taxes for peasants in his province. It will earn us some support,” Howon answered.

Hwang gave a nod. “You have a point, Colonel. It would be unpopular to march soldiers into Uhm’s hometown to take his wealth for ourselves, even if Uhm’s money was gained through corruption. I will accept this idea.”

“The other issue is Shin Kyungman’s proposal to restart the Council of State,” said Kim, speaking up. “For most of the past thirty years, Uhm Seungman made all final decisions by himself. Even though Uhm welcomed advice and was usually willing to listen, nobody was able to check his power. Now Shin Kyungman wants the Council of State to disperse power, composed of just the ministers and the Prime Minister.”

“I think we’re fine as it is here,” said Oh. “Just the five men here, carrying out all of the major decisions. We have Prime Minister, two out of the six ministers, and two important military officers. We can work amongst ourselves.”

“I’m also opposed,” said Howon. He looked at Hwang and Seok, who were both shaking their heads.

“Ministers Kim, Hwang, and I have already discussed the issue, Colonel Lee. With all due apologies, we think Minister Shin’s decision is correct. We will attend the Council of State,” Seok stated. “I will of course keep you informed as to what we discuss.”

Howon just briefly turned to look at Kim Jaehak, who glanced away in an instant. Though faint, Howon could glimpse a look of guilt on the other man’s face. It was that look that told Howon what he needed.

Hwang won this round. The Council of State would be formed, and Howon knew he would not be a member there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize the story has yet to move beyond flashbacks and office meetings. But it will get more interesting, I promise. This is what happens when I create a story with a concept and cast that's too large.


	6. Chapter 6

Next morning, the imperial court’s morning audience went differently. That is to say, it did not happen at all.

Howon was notified shortly before dawn, when he was reviewing imperial documents by candlelight. The documents were all addressed to the Emperor, but Howon took the time to read them all. Woohyun would get to read them if Howon thought it was necessary. If not, then Woohyun would go that day without reading any of the documents. Howon frowned slightly to himself at the idea. This was exactly the sort of behavior that he had once criticized. Corrupt officials, particularly dictators like Uhm Seungman, were famous for concealing the truth from the emperors. By covering the eyes and ears of the rightful rulers, these puppet rulers were able to conceal their treachery and operate unchecked. Howon wished he could claim differently, but he quickly learned why any official would need to perform this same gatekeeping function.

There was just too much to read.

Every sort of complaint could be found. Some were troubling news relating to finance or security: county magistrates in the north and south complaining about poor harvests, provincial governors in the west and east complaining about border incursions by hostile barbarian tribes, or reports from city markets about the increasing cost of goods and food. Other reports were made with an eye on promotion. A few county magistrates reported how they had increased local harvests or suppressed rebellious bandits. Other officials had to report good omens in lieu of actual results. One particularly unrealistic account, as far as Howon could tell, reported that a double rainbow seen far to the west indicated that the new Emperor’s reign would be a long and prosperous one.

The worrisome reports, even more concerning to Howon than reports of bad harvest or flood or unrest, were the ones that criticized the throne.

Things had changed significantly from Howon’s youth. When his father and grandfather were alive, Howon recalled, they had never dared to personally criticize the Emperor, then Woohyun’s grandfather. Howon’s father, the late Lee Kukchang, had never refrained from criticizing Uhm Seungman directly, blaming the deceased Prime Minister for all sorts of ills that afflicted the country. Howon’s grandfather, Lee Geuncheol, was more circumspect, blaming Uhm’s predecessors, the three Kim brothers, for plunging the country into chaos and giving Uhm Seungman a chance to take control.

The most worrisome reports were written only since Woohyun’s accession. They directly criticized the Emperor, and by extension, Howon. These troubling reports came in two varieties.

The first group of letters related to the late Prime Minister, and they demanded that Howon either take actions for or against the remaining supporters of Uhm Seungman. It was clear to Howon that Uhm, dead for less than a week, retained a solid body of followers in the provinces. The supporters criticized the Emperor for doing nothing while Uhm’s enemies took control, warning that this new anti-Uhm faction could soon take over the throne. These supporters tended to be mid-ranking officials who had been awarded plum positions near the capital for supporting Uhm. Uhm’s critics tended to be county magistrates who despised Uhm for thwarting their own job prospects in the capital. These men demanded that the Emperor destroy Uhm’s corrupt supporters for once and for all.

The second group of letters related to the marriage. And Howon found few supporters among these letters.

“The Emperor cannot marry a man. This is against custom and all human sense. If Your Majesty proceeds with such a marriage, Heaven and Earth will collapse. The seas will boil to vapor, and the rich soil of the plains will crack and split open. The stars will fall out of the sky like dust under a strong wind.” One letter was particularly shrill.

Howon had smirked at all of the mixed metaphors and apocalyptic imagery. Another critical report, far more concise, was equally harsh.

“Lee Howon is nobody. Your Majesty should marry another.” And that was the entire letter.

The other critical reports were somewhat lengthier and less dramatic. Many of the authors suggested that the Emperor should marry a woman of a far more noble and lofty lineage. A few offered the Emperor a daughter or granddaughter to marry.

And in the midst of reading all of these letters, Howon was seated on the floor, rubbing eyes weary from just three hours of sleep, when Sungyeol tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a piece of paper.

“It’s a message from Hwang Yongseop about the dawn audience,” Sungyeol explained. Howon took the paper and dismissed the younger soldier with a wave.

The message was short, and it took Howon just a moment to read:

_I’ve made plans for the Emperor and you to enjoy a nice excursion in the Imperial Gardens today. I believe that His Majesty needs a time to fully process the events of the past few days. I take it the Emperor enjoys poetry? In that case, my plan will be perfect._

Howon frowned and disposed of the message by burning it.

 _I have no idea what Hwang Yongseop is getting at_ , Howon thought, _but I don’t like it._

And when dawn broke, Howon summoned the Emperor. Woohyun did not look like he had gotten any sleep during the nighttime, and peered up from a scroll he had been reading.

“Is it time?” Woohyun asked, his voice rough.

Howon nodded, before asking a question. “Woohyun, I mean, Your Majesty.”

“Yes?” Woohyun said, rising to stand and face the older man.

Howon took the time to look at the other man. To look closer than he had before. It occurred to Howon that the Emperor was a young man, but now he had a seriousness to him that made him look slightly older.

“We might be going on a trip. Are you okay with this?”

“A trip? Where?” And Woohyun’s expression was suddenly one of interest.

“I don’t know. It’s Hwang Yongseop’s idea. He thinks we should spend some time together.”

“After the morning audience?”

“It would need to be.”

Woohyun gave an affirmative nod.

“I don’t have a choice?”

“I don’t know,” Howon answered flatly.

Woohyun’s question was answered minutes later, after Woohyun had dressed in the imperial robes. As Howon walked first to the throne room, he was surprised to walk into the audience chamber and see … Just one man. Hwang Yongseop stood in the center of the entire room, alone, head bowed in front of the throne room.

“Prime Minister Hwang, what is the meaning of this?”

The thin man turned towards Howon, without being able to glimpse Woohyun standing behind him.

“I sent everybody away,” Hwang said, nonchalantly.

“I can see that,” Howon said loudly. “Nobody here’s. Why?”

“Colonel Lee, the previous Emperors usually held court every other day. We have had three audiences in three days. The Emperor deserves a break,” Hwang said, his tone condescending while pretending to be conciliatory.

“That was not your decision, Prime Minister Hwang. It is the decision of the Emperor to decide whether the officials attend the audience or not,” Howon said, his voice somewhat rising.

“Who are we as officials, Colonel Lee, if we cannot use our wisdom and judgment to make decisions? The Emperor needs his rest, and I could not let the squabbles and disputes of a hundred officials stand in the way,” Hwang replied.

“No, Prime Minister Hwang, you substituted your judgment for the Emperor’s judgment,” Howon said. “In the future, I demand that you consult with me before making any of these decisions. I will decide whether the morning audiences are cancelled or not.”

Hwang gave a suspicious squint. “Your judgment, Colonel Lee, don’t you mean?”

Howon stuck out his chin. “As far as you are concerned, the Emperor and I speak with one voice.”

“Has something occurred in the past few nights in the bedroom,” Hwang smirked, “that gave you such great familiarity with the Emperor’s wants and desires?”

Howon flushed. “That’s not what I meant.”

“And now it will be my turn to ask questions,” said Hwang. “Are you and His Majesty going to attend the excursion I have planned for you?”

“What excursion is this?” Howon said, still suspicious.

“The late Emperor, before his untimely demise, had chosen this day for a celebration of culture. He intended to participate in a banquet and poetry reading with his top officials,” Hwang said, walking up to Howon with another piece of paper in hand. “Unfortunately, almost everybody on the guest list now rests in the ground. But you should take the opportunity. The rest of the arrangements remained in place.”

“Are you going to be attending?” Howon said, now reading Hwang’s list warily. The official was correct. The guest list was almost identical to the kill list that Howon had prepared before the coup. Most of the people on the list were either dead or in jail.

“Heavens, no,” Hwang said. “The other members of the Council of State have already gathered for our first meeting together. They can’t start until I join them. I don’t want to keep Ministers Seok or Shin waiting for too long. The others can wait.”

“This event is taking place during the official mourning period,” said Howon. “This violates propriety.”

“It’s not one of those raucous celebrations. There’ll be no wine or music. Nobody is going to criticize you or the Emperor for improper feasting.”

Howon pondered the thought for a second. He did not want to keep Woohyun in the imperial bedroom for yet another night. The younger man’s mind could only be pushed so far.

“So who will be at this excursion you suggest?” Howon said, tossing Hwang’s guest list behind his back, glaring daggers at Hwang.

“I tried to find a group of retired, distinguished former officials from the capital city and surrounding regions. Alas, I could only find two cultured men of good reputation. I think some culture will be good for the Emperor. Don’t you?” Hwang said, and gave another insincere smile, and bowed to Howon, all the while trying to get another look at Woohyun. When that failed, Hwang bowed again. “The event starts before noon at the Terrace of Delightful Happiness. You’re welcome.”

Hwang left the hall with a smirk, as Howon glared. But the young man only gave a sigh and walked out of the throne room to see Woohyun still standing in the hallway, keenly attentive.

“So who is going to be there?” Woohyun asked immediately.

Howon shrugged. “We’ll find out when we get there.”

—

The excursion, if it could be called that, took place at the Terrace of Delightful Happiness. Despite it’s name, the building was actually an austere stone circle that suggested solemnity. It was located in the Lesser Garden, the smaller of the Imperial Gardens. Unlike the Greater Garden, which was accessible only to the Emperor and his family, the Lesser Garden was open to the officialdom. Grasses yellowed by drought stretched around the Terrace, with short juniper shrubs ringing the terrace.

Howon wanted to leave as soon as he and Woohyun were seated on the mats on the terrace. There were only two men attending. Howon wasn’t worried that any of them were a physical danger: his men had personally searched the guests for weapon before letting them into the garden. Besides, the men were both aged and infirm. _Not how I wanted to spend my free time with Woohyun_ , Howon thought to himself. _Spending time with these geezers._

As palace servants began presenting the Emperor with breakfast, the two guests introduced themselves. Howon then realized, with somewhat of a shock, who these men were.

“Eun Sehong, at the Emperor’s service,” said the first man, bowing before Woohyun so deeply that his head hit the stone floor of the Terrace.

“Kang Yooik, at the Emperor’s service,” said the second man. He looked even older, and Howon could tell from Woohyun’s expression that the Emperor wanted to excuse the man from a painful attempt to bow. But Woohyun did nothing until the man had completed a deep bow.

Howon cleared his throat, trying to gauge how these two men reacted to him. Both of them, still prostrate, looked at each other, before making the effort to turn and bow before Howon too. The bows were not as deep as their bows before the Emperor.

“Elder Eun. Elder Kang,” said Howon, trying to confirm his suspicions of the two men, “could you introduce yourself to His Majesty?”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty. I am Eun Sehong. I was Deputy Prime Minister to your grandfather,” said the first man, who could be distinguished by his white hair.

“And, Your Majesty, I am Kang Yooik. I served as Chief Censor and Minister of Rites to your grandfather,” said the second man, who was bald.

It was confusing, just exactly what Hwang was trying to do. Howon knew who these men were. These men were known for both their cultural prowess as well as their adamant support for Uhm Seungman. Howon racked his mind trying to remember why the two would be here. If Eun and Kang had left office because Uhm demoted them, then they would be members of the anti-Uhm faction. But could these men be members of the pro-Uhm group? Why would Hwang send them here?

Howon only watched as the two men sat. By then, the servants had prepared food in front of all of them. Woohyun looked famished: he had been eating the same soldier’s rations as Howon for the past two days. Before them now was an assortment of white rice, grilled pork and beef, and a fish stew.

Woohyun grabbed a pair of chopsticks before Howon stopped him, grabbing at the younger man’s wrist.

“Not yet, Your Majesty,” he said deeply. He grabbed an empty porcelain bowl and filled it with soup from the central bowl. “You should present it to our guests first, before you consume any of it. Anything else would be disrespectful.”

Woohyun looked at Howon with a bit of a look of astonishment, before understanding Howon’s meaning. Woohyun turned to the two guests, employing the royal we. “Elder Eun. Elder Kang. Because We are not familiar with such distinguished guests, We must first ask which of you is older.”

Eun, who looked somewhat younger than Bang, raised his hand first. “It would be me, Your Majesty.”

Woohyun presented the bowl with one hand to Eun, who received it with two. Having quickly understood Howon’s meaning, Eun did not need any encouragement. He gulped down the broth in three large gulps, and his age belied his appetite.

“Elder Eun. You have not eaten any of the vegetables and the fish,” said Howon, attentive.

The elder gave an understanding but nervous smile, and picked up his own chopsticks to shovel the contents of the bowl into his mouth. Only when he had finished eating did Howon reach over to scoop the stew into another bowl.

“Elder Kang,” Howon said, this time presenting the bowl. The elder also took the bowl and repeated the same ritual of drinking the soup and eating its contents, but his hands were anxious and unsteady. Howon repeated the same process with the rest of the food. Only until each of the two guests had eaten at least one bite did Howon and Woohyun finally eat anything for themselves.

Howon wasn’t sure to trust these two men, not yet. Hwang could easily have decided to sacrifice two relics like Eun and Kang in order to poison the Emperor. But none of the other two men reacted suspiciously to the food. Howon decided, at least for now, that the two men could talk. In the meantime, he began eating.

“Elders,” said Howon, not trying to be gracious. He was talking between bites of food. This palace fare was excellent. He was beginning to see why people wanted to be Emperor. Woohyun, on the other hand, ate his food with silence and modesty. “What matters did you mean to discuss with the Emperor today?”

“We had nothing to discuss at all,” said Eun, taking charge. “We were hoping to read and recite poetry.”

Howon raised an eyebrow. Thinking to himself, he decided he could be aggressive and straightforward. After all, he was nobody, right?

“Elders. You did not visit the Emperor on such short notice and come all this way to exchange poetry.”

The two men shook their heads. “That is not true,” said Kang, who looked unusually shrunken and hesitant. “It is a great honor for us to meet the new Emperor.”

“Elders,” said Woohyun, speaking for the first time after eating. Woohyun’s tone stood out. It was the tone Woohyun used when sitting on the throne. During those times, Woohyun spoke what Howon had ordered. Now Woohyun was speaking with his own voice. “As Emperor, We have experienced great hardships in the span of less than one week. We cannot withstand dishonesty on a normal day, much less a day during the mourning period for Our deceased Emperor. We ask you again. What matter brings you before Us?”

The two men looked petrified. Kang was the first to collapse, and the man suddenly got on his hands and knees.

“Your Majesty, Emperor, I am here for my family. I beg of you to spare my grandson and daughter-in-law’s life,” he said, suddenly tearing up. “My son was killed in the coup, and his wife and their child now sit in a jail in the capital city. I beg of you, please release them.”

“What coup?” Howon asked, not quite wanting Woohyun to dominate the conversation.

The elder kept his mouth shut for a second, before begging again. “I know Uhm Seungman killed the late Emperor and attempted to seize the throne. I cannot defend the actions of that wicked Prime Minister. My son was justly punished if he ever supported such a deed. But please, forgive his wife and child.”

“And who is your son?” Howon asked. Woohyun was already withdrawing from the conversation as Howon spoke.

Kang replied with the name of somebody that Howon did not know. _Collateral damage if he’s telling the truth_ , Howon thought. Kang continued. “Please. My daughter-in-law and grandson had nothing to do with this. They should not be in jail. The grandson, the only child of my only child, should not be punished He’s not even five years old.”

It was Woohyun’s turn to grab Howon’s wrist, next. “Is this true?” He whispered. “He’s five, in jail?”

“We don’t know anything. Their family could be one of Uhm’s most corrupt supporters,” replied Howon, vehement. Was Hwang trying to manipulate Woohyun with these two sob stories?

“But still, Howon! A kid?” Woohyun replied.

Howon shrugged off Woohyun’s grip on his hand, and tried to make it clear to the two guests that he, not Woohyun, was in control of the situation.

“Elder Kang. You desire that your grandson be released,” he said. The older man gave a nod, still on his hands and feet. Howon continued. “But why do you bring this up? Why did Hwang Yongseop ask you to come here? What is his purpose?”

“I don’t know!” Said Kang. “He sent a messenger to me yesterday evening telling me to come here.”

“If you don’t know what Hwang wants, I cannot release your grandson,” Howon said coldly. Woohyun was still looking shocked. Howon turned towards the older guest. “And you, Minister Eun?”

“My family is unharmed,” he said, calmer than his partner but still nervous, “but I ask that you spare us and other men who had supported Uhm Seungman. We benefited from it, and we cannot deny that we made a mistake in doing this, but I came here to beg your mercy, on behalf of all who have been hurt by this coup.”

Howon turned towards Woohyun. “I think it’s a test. Hwang wants to see if we’re weak and ruled by emotion. He’s probably the one who put the kid in jail.”

Woohyun licked his dry lips before he whispered. “And so what? We’re talking about at least one innocent person. Maybe two. If it’s weak to feel compassion for those who have been unjustly hurt, then we should feel proud of being weak.”

Howon said nothing, still staring at Woohyun.

“If you won’t say it, Howon, then I will,” Woohyun said, sticking out his chest. Howon shook his head.

Some puppet this Emperor was turning out to be, he thought. But he knew Woohyun was correct.

“Elder Kang. Your grandson has played no part in Uhm Seungman’s corruption. I shall send a letter to the Ministry of Justice asking that he be released. I shall also ask that the Ministry prioritize investigating your daughter-in-law. If she has played no part in Uhm Seungman’s plots, she shall also be released,” Howon said, trying to sound regal on his own.

The two men looked instantly relieved, and Kang rushed forward Woohyun. Howon intercepted him, grabbing the elder by the collar of his robe. The older man instantly backed away before bowing.

As the two men began bowing before Woohyun, Howon stood up to leave. As he did so, Howon grabbed Woohyun’s hand to lead him away from the Pavilion. Not a word of poetry had been spoken.

—

“We should not have done that,” Howon said, angrily. They were in the imperial bedchamber now.

Woohyun was seated on the bed wearing just silk underclothes. Howon averted his eyes. He was _not_ going to be caught staring at the Emperor’s highly visible collarbones.

“His five-year-old grandson was in jail, Howon. How can the Emperor not do something about it?” Woohyun said, raising his voice.

“You can’t be spurred by action by every person who’s suffering. Once you agree to their demands, they’ll want more. First, it’s man whose grandson is in jail. Next, it’ll be the man who can’t plow his field unless he’s given an ox. And then it’ll be the man who needs another acre of land to feed himself. You can’t be soft!” Howon said, yelling again. “Do you think that because you are Emperor, you have all of the gold and power in the land?”

“Why did you even do all of this, then, if you don’t care about people?” Woohyun said, rising from his bed. “You said you wanted to save the empire. You’ve kept me in this cage to do so. And for what purpose? A man begs us to help his family in any way. It didn’t take you a minute to write that letter. And you didn’t even want to do it?”

“Because I’m not soft,” Howon shouted back. “You cannot sit on that throne unless you can learn to say ‘no’ to their demands.”

“How can I say ‘no’ to them? I can’t even say ‘no’ to you!” Woohyun roared.

Howon furrowed his brow. _What was the name of Kim Jaehak’s son? That trainee physician must start soon to keep this man company_ , he thought. He had expected this. No person could ever want to live a life as nothing more than a decorative ornament. Woohyun had done nothing, other than be born into the imperial family, to deserve this treatment. But Howon could not let Woohyun go free. Woohyun was still his prisoner, and it needed to stay that way.

He stood up, unsmiling. “Woohyun. Be honest with me. It won’t affect my actions, but I’ll need to know your true feelings.”

“Ask, then,” said Woohyun, still upset.

“Do you want to marry me?”

“No.” Woohyun spat, instantly, and without elaboration.

“And do you want to rule by yourself?” Howon asked, following up before Woohyun could say anything more.

And Woohyun froze, eyes blinking and startled.

“And who would you want to rule by your side? Hwang Yongseop? He wants your throne. Kim Jaehak? A glorified scholar,” Howon said, before rattling off more names.

Woohyun turned away sullenly. “I’ll make the decisions,” he sulked, without facing Howon.

“You members of the imperial family have grown up sheltered, kept away from the reins of government. You’re not ready. Maybe you never will be. Do not delude yourself,” Howon admonished, harshly.

“Howon, I’ll never learn how to rule as long as you rule everything in my name,” Woohyun said. And now he leaned on the bed, his back facing Howon.

Howon, already standing up, walked out of the imperial bedroom and locked Woohyun in the room behind him. He had discussed much with the Emperor, but only two lines kept playing out in his head, again and again, as he exited.

_“Do you want to marry me?”_

_“No.”_

He gave a frustrated sigh. _This sham marriage business_ , Howon thought to himself. _Surely I could have done something else besides finding myself in this mess._

He went to sleep easy that night. He had earlier written a letter to Hwang Yongseop informing the Prime Minister that the Emperor would not attend a morning audience tomorrow, either. This time, Howon made clear, it would be his call.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have bad news, good news, and bad news.
> 
> Bad news: I have no idea where I’m going with this story.
> 
> Good news: I’m going to fake it and pretend that I know.
> 
> Bad news: The story quality is likely to drop and I apologize for that.

Howon gave a yawn as he finished putting the last touches on his letter to the Minister of Justice. Sungyeol, playing the part of a dutiful spymaster, had told him that the capital’s dungeons were active day and night as interrogators in that Ministry worked to ferret out the supporters of the old regime. Howon yawned because he was running on four hours of sleep, having napped twice for two hours through the night while at his desk. The lanterns in the imperial bedroom had burned out hours ago, but Howon now worked by the light of dawn. His desk was strewn with lists of officials, of reports from provinces, and complaints from the country’s citizens. After a while, the documents seemed to blur together. Howon responded the best he could to the ones that needed an answer, but many of the papers were set aside. Some problems, suspected Howon, would be resolved on their own and needed no imperial attention.

He cleared his throat absent-mindedly as he walked towards the guards on duty, handing them two letters for delivery. The first was the aforementioned letter to Park Dooha, asking that the Ministry of Justice immediately cease detaining any prisoners under the age of eighteen. The second was delivered to the Prime Minister’s office, telling Hwang Yongseop that the Emperor would not be coming to court, and ordering in Woohyun’s name that the six Ministers instead deliver their daily reports to Woohyun’s bedchamber.

Inside the bedroom, Woohyun remained fast asleep, curled on the bed in the part of the room that was caged off. _Like an animal,_ Howon thought with some regret. He closed his eyes once again. _Just for an hour,_ he thought to himself, _that’s all the time it will take._

He opened his eyes again when one of his soldiers called out to him. He quickly glanced across to the courtyard, where the sundial indicated that scarcely an hour had passed since the dawn. Hwang Yongseop had come even quicker than expected, and Howon guessed that he had slept for no more than half an hour.

The Prime Minister stood there, dressed in the black robes of a court official. Despite his great wealth, Hwang rejected ornamentation. Nothing would have indicated that Hwang was the highest-ranking official in the country except for the talisman at his belt that read “Prime Minister.”

“Colonel Lee,” Hwang said, giving a short bow. “I rushed over as I received your letter.”

Howon noted that man was not short of breath. He suspected that Hwang had been waiting in the imperial audience hall or somewhere very close to the imperial bedchamber, as opposed to being in the Prime Minister’s Office.

“What seems to be the matter? I thought my message was clear. No court business is being conducted today,” Howon said, glaring at the other man.

“Would you mind if I inquired why?” Hwang said, cocking his head to one side. “The transition has only just begun, and there is so much work to be done.”

“Minister Hwang,” said Howon, exhaling breath. “It is a great but strange custom in this country that when the monarch dies, we mourn his death in private for years, but in public, the government acts as if nothing had happened. Before the late Emperor had died, he had scheduled a private outing for this day. I am only sticking to the schedule.”

“Of course,” Hwang said, bowing only his head. “It is so important to show continuity between each reign. I had considered it a necessary burden to trouble Emperor Woohyun with these matters of state, but I admit that it would sooth his troubled heart to enjoy himself in private. Or with you. As His Majesty prefers. I would take my leave, after asking one last question.”

Howon’s eyes met the official’s, even while the soldier strained not to gag. Hwang Yongseop’s tone was sickeningly polite, and did not go unnoticed for even a second.

“The late Prime Minister had scheduled a banquet at his mansion tomorrow. Being dead, he is regrettably indisposed. Would you, and perhaps His Majesty, care to attend tomorrow?”

The suggestion was unwelcome. It was increasingly difficult to justify ostentation in these times of drought and turmoil, but Howon feared the alternative. He could have conjured a reason to cancel a costly imperial feast, but he could not imagine a reason to cancel Hwang’s feast. Also, Hwang was building up connections as he feasted the high officials of the empire. It would be dangerous to leave Hwang by himself.

“Let the two of us host the officials,” answered Howon, settling on an answer. “The commander of the imperial guards has a spare banquet room. I will provide the location and you can provide the food.”

Hwang looked remarkably nonchalant at the prospect of eating in the palace, despite the fact that his strength would be weakest here. Only Howon’s men would be guarding the palace, so Howon’s suggestion should easily have been recognized as a trap. Despite this, the Prime Minister looked assured and confident.

“That is a wonderful idea, Colonel Lee. The commander of the imperial guards has no need for it now, because he is departing for the provinces today. I was just going to see off Commander Yoon myself,” Hwang bowed his head again. “I hope your time with the Emperor will be simply marvelous.

The Prime Minister left, with Howon barely concealing his disgust. Hwang’s insincere kindness made Howon ill. He turned around towards the imperial bedchamber, and saw that over in the half of the room that had been behind bars, Woohyun was already up. The older man had washed his face and was arranging his hair, pinning his top knot into place.

“Good morning, Your Highness,” said Howon as he entered, bowing as close to a right angle as he could. It felt different to bow while wearing just trousers and a jacket. He had been so used to the mail or plate armor of the military uniform that he felt vulnerable in any other clothing.

“I should perhaps be saying that to you,” Woohyun said, before turning towards the bronze mirror by his bed. 

“Good morning?” Howon said, slightly hesitant.

“Your Highness,” said Woohyun, now cleaning his teeth with a chew stick while examining his face in the mirror.

“That’s hardly warranted,” Howon said. He was now besides Woohyun, and he hesitated about what to do next. He tried to recall when he last physically touched Woohyun, and could not remember. And this was the man he was claiming to marry.

Woohyun settled Howon’s indecision by turning towards the man and putting a hand on Howon’s chest to push him away. And the hand was gone just as quickly, by the time Howon regained his footing a second later.

“We know who is the real power between the two of us,” Woohyun said. He peered around the washbasin by his bed. “I can’t have as much as a razor here.”

“The servants can take care of your grooming needs,” Howon said in protest, “and you have almost anything you want.”

“I don’t even have free time, Howon. My time is yours. So what were we going to do today?” Woohyun barked.

“I’ll tell you later. I was going to get clean myself first,” said Howon, not meeting Woohyun’s eyes.

“So let’s get started there today, first,” Woohyun said. The tone was mocking on its surface, but Howon suspected something else underneath. Something playful? Or vicious?

 

—

 

Howon shook his head. _What in the world was this? Wasn’t he supposed to be the power behind the throne, and Woohyun the puppet? This was not what he was expecting._

This all started five minutes ago.

They had been at the imperial bathroom. Woohyun had stripped to a towel and Howon reluctantly followed, getting into the same bath. This was hardly intimate: the heated pool of water was the size of a small room, allowing Howon to keep his distance. Woohyun had begun to clean himself in the bath when one of the female palace servants had entered, bringing Woohyun the razor he requested. And Woohyun had turned towards Howon, instead.

“No,” Woohyun had said. “Give it to Colonel Lee.”

Howon raised an eyebrow. “I can shave my face by myself.” He said, as he took the razor and soap in hand and dismissed the servant.

“That’s not what I mean,” Woohyun said, eyes twinkling and making Howon’s heart beat slightly faster. Howon didn’t consider himself to be easily scared. He had fought in battle multiple times. _What was Woohyun getting at? What was this strange feeling?_

Their eyes locked, and Howon’s eyes widened in surprise. 

“Shave _yours?”_

“Why not? Aren’t I the Emperor, and you the humble servant supposed to serve me?”

“I—I swore to rule through you, and I swore to serve the realm,” spluttered Howon in surprise. “I didn’t mean it on such a personal level.”

Woohyun straightened his back. As he made himself upright, the heated water trickled down his skin into the water, clear for Howon to see.

Woohyun looked at Howon again, and cleared his throat. “I’m waiting.”

So five minutes later, there Howon was. Woohyun was reclined in the shallower part of the pool. Howon applied the shaving soap to Woohyun’s face and neck with a brush, and then carefully began to shave with the straight razor. Howon could feel his own face turn red as he carefully began. He blamed the heat. In the army, he never had the luxury of a heated bath. It was a luxury for a soldier to take a swim in the rivers that the commoners used. He was not used to luxury. Perhaps he should washing in the river south of the capital city.

Woohyun had little visible facial hair, mainly fine, thin hairs that were visible only under close inspection, but Howon supposed that was enough reason to shave. And he was meant to serve, right?

“Be careful with that razor,” Woohyun said, who had his eyes closed.

“If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be here,” said Howon with a small sneer.

“I don’t want any scars,” said Woohyun, ignoring that statement and now humming tunelessly.

 _I’m a soldier, not a barber!_ Howon gritted his teeth in frustration, still managing to use as much finesse as possible. He finished shaving the left jawline, moving his razor in the direction of the stubble. He got up to move to Woohyun’s right.

“Uh-uh,” Woohyun said. “You forgot the lip.”

It would have been too difficult for Howon to cut with the razor alone, as he worried that any minor facial expression by Woohyun would result in Howon leaving a cut. Howon could feel some sweat running down his back. He really needed to go back to bathing in cold water. Howon heaved a sigh and began shaving again, and pressed a finger of his left hand on Woohyun’s philtrum and began to shave the hairs on the left of Woohyun’s upper lip. There was little more than fuzz around Woohyun’s lips. He wiped the razor down and tried to move.

“Uh-uh. And the lower lip.”

Howon made no attempt to hide a very audible sigh as he put a hand on Woohyun’s chin to shave the area between Woohyun’s chin and lower lip. Only then Woohyun allow him to shave the other side of Woohyun’s face. 

After far too much time, Howon and Woohyun finally finished with their bath and exited. 

“That should not be a recurring theme,” Howon said, dressing into the cotton trousers and tunic that had been prepared for him. 

“I think it’s a fine activity between men who are supposed to marry each other,” Woohyun answered, donning silk robes.

It took Howon a few more minutes to buckle the plate armor that indicated he was a member of the imperial guard, but when he had finished, he gestured to Woohyun.

“We’re going to take a walk around. I want to explore the rest of the imperial palace,” Howon said. “I’ve been to the Imperial Library, the Imperial Bedchamber, and the Crown Prince’s Quarters. Now I want to see the rest.”

Woohyun nodded. “Let’s go then.”

The Imperial Palace proper was different from the imperial palace complex, though both were informally called the palace. The Imperial Palace itself was a set of wooden buildings laid out in a rectangle twice times as long as it was wide, arranged on a flat plain on a north-south axis. It was half of a larger complex of buildings and walls. The central government offices, often just called the Offices, were located to the southwest of the Imperial Palace. The Greater and Lesser Gardens were located to the northwest of the Imperial Palace, with the Greater Garden bordering the Imperial Palace. The four complexes, the Palace, the Offices, the Greater Garden, and the Lesser Garden, were enclosed within a square stone wall. However, Woohyun explained, many people referred to the whole complex as the palace.

Inside the Imperial Palace, each building had a formal name, which Howon did not know, but which Woohyun knew as if reciting the facts of his own life.

“There’s the Hall of Radiant Peace,” said Woohyun, pointing to an austere structure as they walked between the various buildings of the imperial palace. “That was where the old Emperors would live after they abdicated. It’s empty now, because there hasn’t been an abdication in a hundred years.”

Woohyun pointed at a well-decorated building, with tile roofs and painted eaves. “And that’s the Hall of Serene Diligence. That was where the Empress Dowager would have lived. My grandmother still lives there, but she’s been ill for a long time.” His voice was tinged with sadness.

Howon was silent, pondering the thought. If he had prevailed over Hwang Yongseop, Woohyun’s father and stepmother would be alive, and they would be living in these two halls. He wondered if Woohyun’s grandmother was another obstacle in the running of the country. She still possessed great theoretical authority as the most senior member of the imperial family, indeed, the only living member of the imperial family aside from Woohyun, but as far as Howon remembered, the old woman had long ceased participating in politics. Howon did not want to eliminate her and make politics any bloodier than necessary.

“That’s the Hall of Divine Virtue,” continued Woohyun. “That is where the concubines and low-ranking consorts are supposed to live.”

That hall was empty because many of the previous Emperor’s consorts were killed in the fighting, and the survivors were allowed to return home. Emperors were supposed to have consorts. Woohyun’s would come in time, Howon thought to himself, and put the thought at the back of his mind.

“There’s where we’re living,” Woohyun said, pointing to the hall that housed the Imperial Bedchamber. “It’s the Hall of Bright Health, though nobody calls it that. And over there is the Hall of Constant Wisdom, where the imperial audiences are held.”

By now they had rounded the eastern part of the palace and were now in the west. The buildings looked too similar for Howon to differentiate between all but the largest structures.

“There’s the Hall of Joyful Loyalty, meant for the Empress,” continued Woohyun. He looked at Howon, who shook his head to cut off that line of conversation before it even started.

Woohyun continued to point out more buildings: residences for minor princes, residences for princesses, residences for high-ranking concubines, and residences for low-ranking concubines. There were some halls meant for the Emperor when he desired to hear music, halls for when the Emperor desired silence, banquet rooms for when the Emperor feasted officials, other banquet rooms for when the Emperor feasted his family, and even a pavilion meant solely to provide the Emperor with a contemplative environment while drinking tea. Howon would have been surprised if even half of the palace was in regular use.

They had their lunch in an empty chamber once reserved for holding the Emperor’s ceramic collection. The room itself had been maintained even as the collection had long disappeared. Howon suspected that the former Prime Minister Uhm Seungman was responsible for the missing objects. Unlike many rooms in the palace, there were no female servants attending to this room, so Howon and Woohyun dined just by themselves.

This time, Howon allowed the two of them to dine on food from the imperial kitchens. The meat was roast lamb, beef, and pork, while the vegetables came in a variety of leafy greens. The two men sat on bamboo mats on the floor, each one holding a bowl of white rice in one hand and chopsticks in the other. Howon had made sure to sample each dish before he allowed Woohyun to eat from it.

“You don’t seem used to this fare,” Woohyun said, trying to make small talk.

“I’m not. My whole family grew up eating soldier rations. Millet, pickled vegetables, and dry, salted meats,” Howon said.

“You are descended from the famous general Lee Geuncheol,” Woohyun pointed out. “He was a man of high-rank. Your family must have had a mansion in the capital city, with servants and fine foods. You would be dishonest if you tried to make yourself seem more modest than you actually are.”

Howon nodded in partial agreement. “We _had_ a mansion in the capital city. I lived here occasionally, though I traveled with my grandfather and father to the countryside. After my grandfather died though, my family fell on hard times. My father was dispatched to the Mountain Province when I was ten, and our family’s fortunes never recovered. I went with my father when he was exiled, and I only returned to the capital city once in the next ten years when my mother passed away. We were forced to sell our mansion in the capital to pay for the expenses of living in the Mountain Province. Afterwards, my father passed away as well, dying of pneumonia after being caught in a terrible blizzard. I was posted to the Southern River Province at the time. I was barely able to return home to the capital city to bury him in the family tomb. So I lived modestly after I no longer lived luxuriously.”

There was silence for a minute as neither of them ate, but only sat in contemplative silence. Woohyun spoke up first.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t be too sorry, Your Highness. I had the privilege of living in the capital city. I’m not a peasant, even if I grew up in the provinces, and I thank the Heavens every day for my lot in life,” Howon answered. “It was that opportunity that lead me here.”

“What are your plans now that you’re here?”

Howon sighed, and resumed eating while trying to formulate his thoughts. “I don’t exactly know. There are small peasant revolts breaking out across the country, and I’ll fight those by sending out the capital city’s reserves of soldiers to the provinces. Taxes are high, and I’m trying to work with the high officials to lower them.”

“And what are you going to do about corruption?”

Howon put his chopsticks down on a mat, looking defeated. “I don’t know.” He poured himself a cup of tea. Real tea, fragrant in aroma, unlike the tasteless brew that he had grown up drinking. “I want to get rid of Hwang Yongseop. The man tried to kill you, Your Highness, and he was the one who made this coup bloody. I told Hwang that we only needed to defeat Uhm. He demanded we expand the list of victims. I agreed with him to his face at the time, but he was smarter than I was. He killed your family, Your Highness, and I want to kill him for that.”

“And why can’t you?” Woohyun asked, with an expression that fully indicated that he knew, but only wanted to hear Howon’s answer.

“Because I can’t deal with ruling just by myself. I don’t have the men to kill everybody in my way, so I need to work with the government. I grew up here, but I don’t know the way these bureaucrats operate. They’ve formed their little cliques where they cover for each other’s lies, and they always talk about their obedience to the throne even as they plot against it.”

“The coup was the easy part,” Woohyun answered demurely, prompting Howon to vigorously nod his head.

The two of them paused as Woohyun finished his meal.

“And what is next?” Continued the Emperor, now pouring himself tea.

“The burial ceremony for the deceased Emperor will occur in two days,” said Howon. “The formal inauguration of the mausoleum will follow whenever Hwang Yongseop finishes his task. A report from the Ministry of Rites says that the mausoleum should be built within one hundred days of the burial ceremony, but can be extended to six months in cases of exceptional need.”

“I have no confidence in his skill or speed,” said Woohyun. “I’ll be glad if Hwang finishes within a year.” Howon nodded in agreement.

“I also have a dinner with the Council of State tomorrow night. I will go by myself. I must demonstrate to my allies as well as Hwang’s allies that I remain firmly in charge,” Howon said, getting up.

Howon thought he saw Woohyun give a small smirk at hearing that.

They finished their afternoon by inspecting the Imperial Guardsmen drilling in the courtyard of the palace complex, with Howon carefully telling Woohyun that the Emperor’s presence was needed to instill loyalty in these men.

“They’re not my men. The soldiers I brought in are provincial men who fought with me and are loyal personally to me. They’re not like these Imperial Guardsmen, who only follow my orders because I am the highest-ranking officer present. If they can switch their loyalty from Uhm Seungman to me so quickly after Uhm’s death, they can switch their loyalty again,” Howon noted.

“Prime Minister Hwang also has soldiers personally loyal to him, I assume.”

“He does. After his promotion, he took many guards from the Ministry of Defense with him. The Prime Minister’s Guards are a small fraction of the Imperial Guard, but numbers can be deceptive. I won’t underestimate them.”

The night ended like so many previous nights had ended: dinner in the imperial bedchamber, followed by Woohyun retiring to bed and Howon reading documents by candlelight.

It differed only in one aspect. As Woohyun climbed into bed, Howon called out to him for no reason other than the fact that it seemed like the right thing to do.

“Good night, Your Majesty,” Howon said, half to himself and half to Woohyun.

Woohyun gave a wordless hum, thinking to himself before answering.

“Good night, Colonel Lee. It was a good day.”

 _Why would he think that? He’s still a prisoner,_ Howon thought later, as sleep began to overtake him. He set aside his papers and blew out his lantern. _The papers will need to wait. Till tomorrow._

He fell asleep without realizing that he was smiling, ever so slightly.

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for any potential deviation from what the prompt was meant to be. I have never written slash before and I have never finished a chaptered work either, but I will do my best to finish this work.


End file.
